Room for Two
by ijustkeepswimming
Summary: Charlie is married to Brax but things get complicated when new girl, Joey Collins arrives in town...
1. Chapter 1

_I've been writing this story for a while but I haven't had the courage to post it as it's a bit different to my normal stuff. It's still a Charlie and Joey story but the approach is rather unconventional. You'll know in chapter one where it is leading, although I promise that's not all it is about. I wasn't sure people would like it and I was possibly at my most nervous yet but two readers encouraged me to go for it. So, I really hope you like it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Room for Two**

**Chapter One**

Sergeant Charlie Braxton sat in the Surf Club with her four best friends, Leah Johnson, Bianca Murphy and Henri Brown. It was their regular Saturday night routine when the girls got together and put the world to rights over several bottles of wine.

"So, have you started planning Brax's birthday yet?" Leah asked.

Charlie looked a little flushed and shook her head. It was her husband's birthday in several weeks' time and last night, he had requested a specific present.

"There is so a story there!" Bianca declared, pointing at her friend.

The girls had all been mates for a long time, with Charlie, Leah and Henri growing up together. Henri had left for University in order to train as a teacher and she'd brought Bianca with her to Summer Bay when they'd graduated.

"There's no story," Charlie insisted.

"No way," Henri declared. "Your voice is way too high pitched to be innocent."

Charlie looked around the room and then leant conspiratorially closer to her friends.

"Have you guys ever done anything… kinky?" she asked quietly.

"Lots," Bianca confirmed.

"Hundreds of times," Henri told her.

"Not really," Leah said, furrowing her brow.

All four women looked at each other.

"So…?" Bianca nudged. "What has he asked you to do?"

The pretty, blonde school teacher had had two weddings in her life. One had been to a handsome, Italian Prince named Vittorio but during a brief breakup, she had fallen in love with a reformed rock star named Liam. They'd not had the easiest of relationships, largely due to Liam's struggle with substance abuse but they had been happily married for six months and looked forward to their future together.

"He wants a threesome!" Charlie blurted out, still rather pink.

"Is this your way of inviting one of us into your bed?" Henri smirked.

Charlie and Bianca snorted. Leah looked horrified.

"It's not, is it?" she asked worriedly. "Because I love you but…"

"Who says she'd pick you?" Henri teased.

"Exactly," Bianca added. "She'd totally pick me!"

"Hey!" her colleague protested.

"I'm not picking any of you!" Charlie squeaked. "I can't… I can't do that."

"With us or in general?" Henri asked.

"Both!" Charlie replied. "I don't… I can't."

She shook her head and downed her drink.

"I mean, it's just asking for trouble, isn't it?" she ventured. "What if he likes the girl better than me or I get left out or…?"

She sighed again and waved at Alf Stewart behind the bar so that he would bring them a fresh bottle of wine. Knowing exactly what the girls' nights out were like, he obliged without objection.

"Come off it, Charlie," Leah said reasonably. "Brax has been in love with you for what, a hundred years?"

"Two hundred," Henri quipped.

It was true that Charlie and Brax had got together when they were barely teenagers. They had shocked the town and dismayed their families when Charlie had fallen pregnant at fourteen. Now, approaching thirty, they were raising their fifteen year old daughter, Ruby and Brax's youngest brother, Casey, who was the same age.

"Stop exaggerating," Charlie said, rolling her eyes and opening the next bottle. "But I mean, it is a factor, isn't it? We've never been with anyone else… either of us. Not properly anyway."

She swallowed and focussed on pouring their drinks. In actual fact, Brax had strayed a couple of times in their relationship and both times had hurt Charlie a great deal. She wondered if that was why she felt so many objections to his latest request.

"What if he's thinking that he's wasted opportunities or something?" she added.

"Charlie, you know I love Brax and he's nowhere near as thick as his brother," Henri ventured, who was indeed dating Brax's other brother, Heath. "But the baseline is that he's a guy and a huge fantasy of a lot of guys are two women at the same time, preferably with their own input in the mix, so the speak."

Leah pulled a face. Charlie continued to look alarmed.

"What I mean is," Henri said. "Brax is probably not analysing this the way you are. He probably just thinks it would be hot. And speaking from experience, it kind of is!"

Leah and Charlie looked shocked. Bianca just laughed.

"We were at Uni," Henri said, waving a dismissive hand. "Everyone experiments then, don't they?"

Leah and Charlie looked at Bianca, the only other one of them that had got a degree. Charlie had gone straight to police training when she had finished high school and Leah had started working at the local Diner, building it up until she owned the whole thing outright.

"We were very drunk," Bianca mumbled.

Charlie's eyes bulged.

"You did it with each other?" she shrieked.

Several people turned to look at them.

"Thanks, Charlie!" Bianca pouted. "Tell the whole Bay!"

"If you did the crime…" the police officer mumbled.

"It was just a bit of fun," Henri said.

"Who was the other person involved?" Leah wondered incredulously.

"Oh, just some guy," Henri said. "I don't even remember his name…"

"Aha, so it wasn't in the context of a relationship?" Charlie said, seizing upon her own point.

"No…" Henri agreed.

"So, it's different," Charlie declared. "Brax and I are married. We've been married for a decade. You can't just go inviting someone else to join you in bed without…"

She shook her head, firmly deciding against giving her husband what he wanted for his birthday.

"You're totally overanalysing it," Henri told her. "You need to unwind and have a little fun."

"Some of us have responsibilities," Charlie informed her.

"Well, if you will have kids when you're a kid…"

Charlie forced a smile but it stung. She loved her daughter more than anything in the world, even more than her husband but she couldn't help but think of how differently her life might have turned out if certain events hadn't happened.

"Do you really think I should do it?" she wondered, toying with the idea still.

"Totally," Henri said.

"Only if you want to," Bianca said reasonably.

"No way!" Leah said.

"Don't listen to her," Henri smirked. "She's married to a man of the cloth!"

"We're not celibate, you know!" Leah protested. "We have just as much fun in bed as the next couple."

"How much fun?" Henri wondered.

"What do you mean?"

"An average of 'fun' per week?"

"Two or three times," Leah replied.

Charlie almost spat out her drink.

"That much?" she asked in shock.

"How boring do you people think we are?" Leah demanded, a little offended.

"No, I…" Charlie said. "How often do you two do it? And that's with Liam and Heath, by the way – not each other!"

Leah laughed, her bad mood dissipating quickly.

"Three or four times," Bianca told them.

"Every night," Henri said.

"I think that's the difference between dating and marriage," Bianca decided of the only member of the group without a ring on her finger.

"Why do you ask?" Leah asked Charlie curiously.

"No reason," the police officer lied. "I just… Really? That much?"

"How often do you and Brax get up to no good?" Bianca asked seriously.

"Once…"

"Once a week?" Henri shrieked. "No wonder he wants to spice things up."

Charlie frowned, deciding against admitting to it being more like once a fortnight these days. Although she had always been very attracted to her husband and genuinely couldn't see herself without him, their sex life had never really thrived. They enjoyed it when they did it but for various reasons, Charlie had never thought it matched the hype that people seemed to go on about all the time. And she knew the problem lay with her more than him and therefore, she had excused him for turning to other women. She also knew that for that reason, she was likely to give him what he wanted in two weeks' time.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie meets Brax's new employee, a woman called Joey Collins…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to everyone who has read this, especially those who have reviewed. Every time I think I can't get more nervous about a new story, I do, so the feedback is really appreciated it. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Two**

On Monday afternoon, on her lunch break from work, Charlie headed over to her husband's restaurant, with Angelo Rosetta, her friend and colleague. Like Leah, Brax and Liam, Angelo had also grown up in Summer Bay. Charlie had always been rather fond of him, although Brax hated that she had anything to do with him at all. His crush on her had been obvious from day one, which particularly pitted him and Brax against each other.

Entering the restaurant, Charlie found Brax behind the bar, standing rather too close to a dark haired girl.

"Hi," she called out, prompting Brax to break abruptly away from the barmaid.

"Hey, sweetheart," he greeted, stepping out from behind the bar.

Angelo hung back, curious over what he had seen and how Charlie was responding to it. The whole of Summer Bay believed that Brax and Charlie were the perfect couple. It seemed like only Angelo could see that things weren't as perfect and others assumed. It helped that he longed to be the one that made Charlie happy. He very much felt that she was wasted on the likes of Darryl Braxton.

"This is my new barmaid," Brax introduced, gesturing for the woman to approach them. "Charlie, this is Joey Collins and Joey, this is my wife, Charlie."

The two women shook hands. Charlie surveyed Joey curiously. She was beautiful in a shy sort of way, slim and pretty with luscious, long hair. Joey also took the moment to check Charlie out. She couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was and therefore couldn't quite work out why her husband would have spent the entire morning hitting on her.

"Are you stopping for lunch?" Brax asked.

"Yes, please," Charlie replied.

Having been previously ignored, Angelo stepped up and introduced himself to Joey. Like Charlie, he couldn't help noticing how stunning she was.

"Hi," Joey replied, shaking his hand. "I'm Joey."

She showed them to a table.

"Will you two join us?" Charlie asked.

With both she and her husband always working such long shifts, they took as many extra hours to spend together that they could.

"Sure," Brax said.

He smiled at Joey and gestured for her to sit down while he organised all their orders.

"So, are you new in town, Joey?" Angelo asked.

Charlie tried not to smirk at how obviously attracted to her he was.

"Uh, yeah," Joey said. "My son and I moved here last week. Today's my first day at work and it's his first day of school."

"How old is he?" Charlie asked.

"Sixteen," Joey replied.

"Oh really?" Brax said, bringing soft drinks for the police officers and Joey and a beer for himself. "That's the same age as our daughter."

Charlie and Joey both studied each other curiously, both obviously trying to figure out ages.

"Her name's Ruby," Charlie said. "Maybe your son will be in some of her classes or something. What's his name?"

"Ben," Joey said.

"I'll ask if she's met him yet," Charlie said. "How was he feeling about his first day?"

"Not great," Joey admitted. "He doesn't find making friends all that easy, to be honest."

"Ruby's very good at making friends," Brax remarked. "She might well make a beeline for him. Isn't that right, Charlie?"

The police officer smiled and nodded. Planned or not, Ruby would always be the best thing that had ever happened to her.

"Here's hoping," Joey said.

This felt like their one and only chance to start again and she was desperate for it to go well. She and her son had been to hell and back over the last few years and she hoped that moving away and starting a new life would bring them the healing that they needed.

"So, what made you move to the Bay?" Angelo asked, eager to learn more about her.

Brax rolled his eyes and smirked at Charlie who remained polite.

"My job ended," Joey lied. "And Ben wasn't having the easiest time at school so we thought upping sticks and starting again would be a good idea."

"Well, if you ever want a tour guide round the place, I'm your man," Angelo declared.

Brax scoffed and stood to check on their meal orders in the kitchen.

"So, you two are police officers?" Joey said, changing the subject. "That must be pretty cool."

"It is," Charlie grinned.

"I'm just about to make Senior Constable," Angelo said proudly.

"Oh, congratulations," Joey said a little uncertainly. "What's your title, Charlie?"

"Sergeant," Charlie admitted, feeling like she had just rained on his parade.

"Wow!" Joey said.

Angelo glared at his colleague. How was he meant to impress the new girl if nobody gave him a chance? But then, that was his life in a nutshell, as far as he was concerned.

"What's so impressive?" Brax asked, returning to the table with their food.

He sat down next to his wife.

"Charlie was just impressing me with her job," Joey explained.

Brax grinned and put his arm around his wife.

"She's pretty awesome," he said. "Do you know that she's the youngest Sergeant in the area?"

"That's very impressive," Joey said, smiling warmly at Charlie, who blushed.

Angelo observed the table, noting the bond that already seemed to have developed between the women and the fact that Brax was looking lustily at both of them.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie attempts to revive her marriage and Joey struggles with Ben…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"What do you think of that Joey girl?" Brax asked.

Having just showered, ready to start the day, he entered the bedroom in a towel, finding his wife on the edge of the bed, putting her socks on.

"She seemed nice," Charlie replied, standing up and checking her uniform in the mirror.

Brax stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slim frame. She looked at his reflection, suspecting that she knew exactly what her husband was about to propose.

"What do you think of… inviting her to my birthday?" he asked.

Charlie sighed and closed her eyes, escaping his grasp. Disappointed, he turned to watch her pack her bag for work.

"Well?" he said.

"I've told you that I really don't want to do this, Brax," Charlie said firmly. "Why are you being so insistent?"

"Because we need something, _anything _to kick start our love life," he replied a little coldly. "I bet pensioners have more sex than we do."

Charlie sighed and apologised. He reached out and caught hold of her hands.

"You know I don't like to criticise but… it's just…"

"I know," Charlie said softly.

She sank onto the bed and he perched beside her.

"I just… I'm working so hard and so are you and…"

"Everyone has to work, Charlie," Brax pointed out.

"And we've got the kids and…"

"Lots of people have kids," Brax interrupted.

Currently living in the house were their daughter, Ruby and Brax's youngest brother, Casey, who was the same age. He and their other brother, Heath, had both been living with their Mum, Cheryl but her drinking frequently took its toll. So when Casey was still a child, Brax had taken him in and raised him as more of a son than a brother, despite only being twenty at the time. Now, he and Charlie and had two teenagers in their care.

"And there's the other stuff," Charlie frowned.

She looked down at her hands and sighed.

"I understand that," Brax told her as gently as he could. "But that doesn't help our current situation, you know?"

Charlie nodded and looked back up at him.

"I'll do better, okay? Tonight. We could…"

Brax grinned.

"Do you have time now?" he asked hopefully.

She decided to find the time.

* * *

"Okay, are you all set for school?" Joey asked, once her son had his shoes on.

"Why do I have to go again?" he complained, swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Because that's what normal people do," his mother replied.

He glared at her.

"I didn't mean it like that," she said quickly. "Sorry."

He shrugged bitterly and stormed out the door. Sighing heavily, Joey sank onto the sofa with her head in her hands, wondering when she was ever going to do well in a conversation with her son. Their relationship had once been so good but now she found it devastating.

* * *

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Brax remarked as he put his clothes on.

Charlie rearranged her uniform and plastered a smile on her face.

"It's never bad, Brax," she told him. "That's not the problem."

"I'd love to know what _is_," he remarked a little tactlessly.

She stood and hugged him, resting her face on his broad chest.

"We can make things better," she said. "This is the first step."

He nodded and kept his arms around her.

"I'm still pretty keen for that birthday treat though," he admitted.

Charlie drew back, her smile fading.

"Brax, I really don't…"

"Just think about it," he requested. "That's all I ask."

* * *

Joey pulled into the car park and found a space. She killed the engine and checked her hair and face in the mirror. Bracing herself for work, she climbed out the car, idly wondering if perhaps Brax's wife would stop by. She thought she was probably the most beautiful woman she had ever met. And although she was the boss's wife, there was nothing wrong with window shopping.

* * *

_Next time… Joey gets to know Charlie and her friends…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Joey!" Charlie called when she saw her husband's employee step out from behind the bar.

"Sorry, I've just finished my shift," the pretty waitress replied. "But I can go and get someone else to…"

"I was just wondering if you'd like to join us," Charlie said.

Joey blinked a couple of times, rather startled. She looked around the table where Charlie and three other women had been thoroughly enjoying eating and drinking.

"Um…" she managed.

"Come on," one of the two blonde women said, cajoling her with a wave of her hand.

"Are you sure?" Joey asked.

She glanced a little hesitantly back at Brax before smiling and joining the table.

"We have a girlie get together every couple of weeks," Charlie explained.

"And as you're new, female and the same age as us, we thought we'd invite you to join in," Bianca explained, before introducing herself.

The other two women introduced themselves as Leah and Henri.

"I'm Joey," the waitress said politely. "Pleased to meet you all."

She smiled and blushed a little as Charlie caught her eye, offering her a glass of wine.

"I don't drink," Joey said a little awkwardly.

She waited for criticism but it didn't come. Henri just hollered for Brax to get their new friend a soft drink.

"Not into the wine?" Brax asked curiously. "I won't judge you."

He grinned. Charlie shifted a little uncomfortably.

"I've never been into alcohol," Joey said, still feeling awkward.

"Well, how about I get you a virgin cocktail?" he suggested.

"Sounds good," Joey replied.

She missed the way Brax looked a little pointedly at his wife. Bianca spotted it but resisted commenting.

"So, what made you move to Summer Bay?" Henri asked.

* * *

The night was drawing to a close and despite her initial nervousness, Joey was having a good time. She'd phoned Ben when she knew she would be staying out longer and he had grunted that that was fine and he'd probably be asleep by the time she got home.

"Thanks so much for inviting me to join you," she said earnestly.

She was sat with Charlie and the rest of the girls downstairs in the Surf Club and although she wasn't partaking of the alcohol, she found their silliness very engaging – especially Charlie's.

"Thank you for accepting," Charlie replied.

The two women were sat beside each other and Joey couldn't help but find her new friend utterly fascinating. But she was careful not to get too carried away.

"Okay, so we've got you some friends," Bianca said. "Now we need to find you a boyfriend."

Joey looked immediately awkward.

"Maybe Joey doesn't want a boyfriend," Leah said.

"I don't actually," she admitted.

"Divorced and bitter or…?" Henri queried.

"Gay," Joey informed her, bracing herself for rejection.

It was one of the reasons why she had been anxious about moving to a small town but she supposed she had to come out sometime.

"Awesome," Bianca said.

"Congratulations!" Henri added, prompting Joey to snort with laughter.

Perhaps coming out wasn't that difficult after all. She flushed a little when she saw Charlie studying her and began to fret that perhaps she had been too obvious in her attraction to the police officer.

"Seriously," Charlie said. "You don't need to look worried. We're a pretty easy going bunch."

"It won't stop the boys hitting on you, I'm afraid," Henri said. "Especially Heath."

Joey looked puzzled.

"Isn't Heath your boyfriend?" she asked.

"Yes," Henri replied.

Joey continued to look confused.

"He's allowed to look but not touch," Henri explained.

Charlie downed the rest of her wine. She and Brax had the same understanding but he didn't always follow the guidelines. It hurt but she tried to understand. And now, in a bid to make him forget the threesome idea, she was offering herself up on a reluctant plate at least once a day.

"Fair enough," Joey chuckled.

"Elijah isn't even allowed to look," Leah admitted.

"He wouldn't anyway," Henri insisted. "He's a good, Christian boy."

"It doesn't make him perfect, believe me!" Leah chuckled.

"Your relationships are all very intriguing," Joey admitted.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Leah asked.

"Not right now," Joey said. "I'm too busy with settling in and my son and everything. The last thing I'm thinking about is a relationship."

"But if you _were_," Henri ventured. "What kind of girl would you be into?"

"And don't be lame with 'I don't have a type' either!" Bianca added.

Joey laughed and shook her head.

"Well, I don't," she said. "But I guess if I was looking, I'd want someone funny and kind and that I could have a good conversation with."

"Oh yeah," Henri smirked. "Conversation is exactly what you look for in a partner!"

"Elijah and I have good conversations," Leah interjected. "Not all of us just go for the body. Some girls like brains as well."

"Are you insinuating that Heath isn't clever?" Henri asked in mock offence.

Charlie snorted with laughter. Clever was certainly not the way she would ever describe her brother in law. He was just lucky that Brax was always on hand to look out for him and rescue him for whatever mess he'd got himself into.

"He's not about to be someone's phone a friend on Millionaire," Bianca remarked.

"I'm surprised one of his endless tattoos isn't his name and address," Charlie added.

Henri laughed and shook her head.

"Like you're one to comment on boys with tattoos," she said.

Brax had just as many.

"That's not the point," Charlie insisted with a giggle.

"What _is _the point?" Leah wondered.

With too much wine in her system she had completely lost the train of the conversation.

"I believe we were interrogating Joey about her romantic preferences," Henri reminded her. "So, you've done the standard 'looks aren't important. Now, tell us how hot she has to be to get your attention!"

* * *

_Next time… Brax wants Charlie to invite Joey into their bed while Joey is surprised by Ben…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Did you and Joey have a good night?" Brax asked when Charlie wobbled through the front door.

"You say that as if nobody else was there!" Charlie chuckled, tossing her handbag on the table and plopping down beside her husband on the couch.

He had been drinking beer and watching sport.

"Okay, did you have fun with all the girls?" he asked. "Especially Joey."

"Yes, we all had a good time," Charlie replied. "And no, I made no suggestion of a threesome with the girl you're obviously very eager to hook up with."

"It's not like I want to leave you out," he pestered.

"Anyway," Charlie said. "Surely we need to find a bisexual girl if we're both going to be involved. Joey's gay."

Brax choked on his drink.

"She's gay?" he asked. "Cool."

Charlie rolled her eyes.

"Like I said, even if I did agree, I don't think your plan would work," she insisted. "Firstly, there's no guarantee that she'd be attracted to me. And secondly, there's no way she'd be attracted to you. So I think the whole thing is pretty much a lost cause."

Brax grumbled and finished his drink. He settled back in his seat and put his arm around her, giving her shoulders a squeeze. Sighing, she leant against him.

"Is there nothing else you'd like for your birthday?" she asked.

She genuinely wanted to please him but she was far from comfortable with his request. Granted, if she were to agree, Joey was a wonderful choice. She was beautiful to say the least. But that didn't mean she wanted to invite her into their marriage.

"It's my number one request," he said. "But if you really don't want to, I can't force you…"

She flinched at his words and sat up. He immediately apologised.

"That was a poor choice of words. Sorry," he said.

She nodded and plastered a smile back on her face.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," she said, yawning.

He looked disappointed but opted not to push her. Instead, he turned off the TV and followed her to their room. Once changed, he held her close without so much as groping her. Charlie was relieved to feel completely safe in his arms.

"You stink of alcohol," Ben commented.

* * *

By the time Joey had arrived home, her son had no so much been in bed as stayed up late playing violent video games that she specially requested he kept at a minimum. She was relieved that he put the controller down without an argument.

"I was in a pub," Joey pointed out, sinking into the armchair and kicking off her shoes.

"I thought you were tee total now," Ben complained, switching off the TV.

"I am," his mother replied.

"Then why were you in a pub?"

"Just because _I _don't drink, doesn't mean I can force anyone else to stop," she replied. "And this is a new town for both of us. It's good that we're both starting to make friends."

"I'm not," Ben replied.

"Did you introduce yourself to Charlie and Brax's daughter?" Joey asked curiously.

"Ruby?" Ben said.

Joey nodded and yawned.

"She's okay," Ben admitted. "We're not friends exactly but she and her uncle have said hello a few times."

"Her uncle?" Joey asked, confused.

"Yeah, Casey Braxton," Ben explained. "He's Brax's youngest brother. He's my age. And he lives with Ruby."

"Oh, okay," Joey said, tiredness threatening to overwhelm her.

"There's a few other people there, I guess," Ben mused. "Ruby and Casey hang out with a group. They seem okay."

Joey sat up and opened her eyes. She smiled as she saw the young boy her son had once been.

"We're really going to make it work here, Ben," she said confidently.

"I hope so," he said a little uncertainly.

Joey was surprised when he reached out and hugged her. It had been quite some time since he had been comfortable expression physical contact.

"I'm going to bed," he said, moving away.

"Goodnight," Joey replied thoughtfully.

She watched him retreat to his room before hauling herself up and heading for bed. It had been a late and rather unexpected night and she had work in the morning. Sleep was exactly what she needed.

* * *

_Next time… Joey gets to know Brax, Charlie and Angelo while Ben upsets Ruby…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

A few days later, Joey was working at the restaurant when Charlie appeared in uniform with Angelo.

"Hi," she greeted warmly as they approached the bar.

"Hey, Joey," Charlie replied, leaning on the counter and smiling at her. "How are you?"

"Yeah, pretty good," Joey said. "Your husband's out the back, by the way."

"Good," Charlie said. "I was planning on having an early dinner with him before I tackle the night shift."

"And you wanted to join in?" Joey asked Angelo with amusement.

She hadn't lived in Summer Bay for long but it had been quickly established that Brax and Angelo were not friends.

"No, I'm on my own," Angelo replied. "Unless you'd care to join me for dinner?"

Joey flushed a little and mumbled that she was working. Charlie tried not to laugh. Everyone else in town seemed to have figured out that Joey was gay but apparently Angelo hadn't got the message.

"You don't get a break?" he wondered.

"A break from what?" Brax asked, appearing from the kitchen.

He kissed Charlie and put his arm around her.

"Nothing," Angelo said.

Brax studied his disappointment and Joey's awkwardness.

"Did you just hit on her?" he asked incredulously.

"No, I invited her to join me for dinner," Angelo snapped.

"And in what world is that not hitting on her?" Brax said. "And in what world haven't you figured out that she likes girls?"

Angelo looked stricken.

"Brax!" Charlie hissed. "If Joey wants people to know certain things, then she can tell them herself. She doesn't need you outing her."

She turned an apologised to Joey who assured her it was fine.

"But you are due a break so you can eat with Charlie and I if you like," Brax offered.

Charlie refused to look at her husband, knowing exactly what he was now thinking about.

"Oh, thanks," Joey said a little nervously.

She liked Charlie. And she liked Brax. But when they were together, some sort of strange dynamic seemed to appear between them and Joey couldn't quite work it out.

"Angelo, you can eat with us too," Charlie said quickly.

"Great!" Angelo accepted quickly before Brax could protest.

"Not quite what I was aiming for," Brax mumbled as he led them all to a table.

* * *

Half an hour later, the group were surprised when Ruby burst into the restaurant looking upset. Casey hurried in after her.

"Where's the fire?" Brax asked, a little alarmed.

"That horrible, horrible boy!" Ruby complained.

Worried, Charlie pulled a chair out and invited her to sit down.

"What horrible boy?" she asked. "What happened to you?"

"Ben!" Ruby sobbed.

Joey was immediately stricken.

"My Ben?" she asked. "What happened?"

"He called me names," Ruby told her, not caring that as a sixteen year old, she sounded much younger.

"You're not making any sense," Brax told her. "Case, what happened?"

"Uh… it looked like they might go on a date or something but he totally freaked out," Brax's brother explained awkwardly.

Joey shot up out of her seat.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "Sorry. Brax, I really need to go and find him."

"Sure," Brax said, waving a dismissive hand at her.

She dashed out of the restaurant and Brax gathered his daughter into his arms. Charlie held her hand and encouraged her to stop sobbing.

"Are you still here?" Brax snapped at Angelo.

Irritated, the police officer stood and left, telling Charlie he'd see her back at work.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie finds Joey drunk after a row with Ben…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Joey was frantic by the time she found her son, standing on the highest point of Summer Bay, looking out at the sea below, crashing violently against the rocks.

"Ben!" she said desperately. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"I've been here," he replied, still gazing out at the horizon.

Joey's heart pounded in her chest as she approached him, careful not to get too close.

"What happened?"

Ben just shrugged, refusing to look at her.

"Ben," she tried, catching hold of his hand.

He jerked back like he'd been burnt, finally looking at her.

"Please talk to me," she begged.

He sat down suddenly, swinging his legs over the high ledge. Joey carefully sat beside him.

"Ruby asked me out on a date," he said blandly.

"I'm guessing you said no," his mother ventured.

"Of course I said no!" he said sharply. "I can't…"

He gritted his teeth and looked down. Joey was desperate to reach out to him but as had been the case for too long now, she didn't know how.

"Ben, we came here to make a new start," she said gently. "And part of that could be…"

"It can't be anything!" her son said desperately. "I can't have a girlfriend, Mum. You know that."

Daring to be bold, she touched his hand again. This time, he didn't pull away.

"You are nothing like him," she said firmly. "You have to try and let this go. You…"

"How can I let it go?" he asked, looking at her with tear filled eyes.

"I don't know," Joey admitted. "But you have to try. We both have to find a way to start again. There is nothing bad in you, Ben."

"Except the drinking, the violence…"

"That's in the past," Joey told him, unconsciously touching a scar on her wrist. "And it doesn't matter anymore. You've dealt with those things. We've healed."

"You're kidding yourself," he told her, sounding somewhere between cold and sad. "We're never going to heal from any of this. We never should have come here."

He jumped up quickly and turned away. Joey also leapt up and tried to stop him running off. He gripped her tightly by her arms and pushed her back towards the cliff edge, withdrawing only when he saw genuine terror in his mother's eyes. He pulled her forward again and let go.

"See?" he said. "It's not in the past."

He took off at a run.

* * *

With Ruby settled at home on the promise that Casey would look after her, Brax remained at the restaurant and Charlie headed back out to work.

"Hello?" Sergeant Braxton said when her phone rang.

"You haven't seen Joey on your travels, have you?" Brax asked.

Charlie groaned.

"Is this really an appropriate discussion right now?" she snapped.

"It's not about that!" Brax insisted. "She never came back to work. I'm worried."

Charlie chewed her lip, trying to figure her husband out.

"Are you worried about her?" she finally asked.

"A bit," Brax said. "She was kind of panicked when she ran out of here and her son sounds like a nut job based on what Ruby and Casey were telling us."

Charlie sighed, also worried.

"I'll see if I can find her and check she's okay," she promised.

"And tell her she's on a warning if she ignores a shift again," he added.

"You're all heart, aren't you?" Charlie mocked.

"I have a business to run!" he replied.

"I presume you don't think we stand a chance with her," Charlie remarked, heading out to her patrol car. "Or else you'd cut her some slack."

"What I do in bed and what I do in business are two very different things," Brax said. "You know that."

Charlie settled in the driver's seat and rolled her eyes.

"You're really not going to let go of this anytime soon, are you?" she said.

"Not if I don't have to," he replied. "Let me know what happens if you find her."

"I will," Charlie promised, hanging up.

* * *

It was nearing ten o'clock that night when Charlie found Joey sitting on the beach alone and in the dark.

"I thought you didn't drink," she commented, nodding towards several empty bottles on the sand around her.

"Only on very special occasions," Joey slurred, swigging from her bottle, discarding it empty and opening another.

Charlie moved to sit beside her.

"Is this about what happened with Ben and Ruby?" she asked. "Because I don't think it's anything major to worry about. He can't help it if he doesn't feel that way about her."

Joey laughed bitterly.

"Oh, he does like her," she said certainly. "That's the problem."

"I don't understand," Charlie admitted, studying Joey's vacant eyes.

She seemed utterly lost.

"It's complicated and I'm too drunk to explain," she said.

Charlie shifted a little, preventing her from drinking more beer. Joey moaned in complaint but didn't resist too much.

"Joey, I need you to work with me here," she said.

"Work!" Joey exclaimed. "Shit! I was meant to go back to work. Ugh, he's going to fire me, isn't he?"

"No," Charlie promised. "You'll be on a warning but he's not too annoyed, don't worry."

Joey sighed heavily and turned to look at Charlie, her gaze rather hazy.

"Moving here was supposed to be our way of starting again," she said unhappily. "I should have known it would all get fucked up."

She flopped back onto the sand. Charlie leaned over her in a bid to help her back up. The woman needed sobering up and looking after. Without warning, Joey drew Charlie down to her, kissing her firmly but gently on the lips.

* * *

_Next time… Joey fills Charlie in on some details…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Charlie lost herself for a moment as Joey's warm lips pressed against hers. Gathering her senses, she pulled away. She also pulled Joey into a sitting position. Her friend looked just as startled.

"I really am fired now, aren't I?" Joey remarked.

"No," Charlie said, shaking her head.

With a different guy, kissing someone else would have been awful. But if Charlie told Brax what had happened, he would probably just use it to pressure her more into his desire for a threesome.

"Then can I kiss you again?" Joey asked.

Charlie was surprised to find herself conflicted. Her first thought was _no, you're too drunk and I'd be taking advantage of you_. It shocked her that that was her only reason. It shocked her that she indeed did want to kiss Joey, a woman.

"I wouldn't make a very good cop or human being if I took advantage of an inebriated woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders," she said. "However, if you want to talk about what's going on, I'm here."

Joey sighed and studied the moon before turning to study her friend. She wondered if she really could be trusted with the reason she'd bought so much beer.

"I miss my son," she finally admitted.

"How long has he been gone?" Charlie wondered.

"In body, he's around," Joey said. "In spirit… I don't even know who he is anymore."

Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees and her chin on her arms.

"What's been happening?" Charlie wondered, studying her carefully.

Joey turned to look at her again.

"If I'm completely honest with you, will you respect confidentiality?" she asked.

"Of course," Charlie replied.

"Not even your husband?"

"Nobody," Charlie promised.

Joey sighed again and looked back out to sea.

"We moved to Summer Bay in a desperate bid to start again," she said. "I really believed for a moment there, that we could but today…"

"Is this still about what happened with Ruby?" Charlie asked.

"Not her specifically but…"

Joey chewed her lip and took a couple of breaths.

"I had Ben when I was fifteen," she explained. "It was the scariest and sometimes loneliest time of my life."

Charlie nodded, feeling deep compassion. It was something she understood.

"I guess you know a bit of what that's like?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded again, waiting patiently for her to continue.

"But it wasn't a mistake between a boyfriend and a girlfriend," Joey said.

Charlie bit her lip, trying to focus and stay quiet.

"I was raped by my brother's best friend," Joey told her, her voice catching. "My parents were great and they supported me, helped me raise my son while I was still going to school. My brother doubted the story from the start and he caused me a lot of problems. He got jealous because of all the attention I got from our Mum and Dad and it became an increasing problem over the years."

She shifted her position, crossing her legs and placing her hands in front of her. Compassionately, Charlie reached out and held her hand.

"And Ben was a completely different kid to who he is now," Joey said, accepting the comfort. "He was sweet and funny and kind. He didn't keep secrets and he told me he loved me every day from the moment he could talk. I looked at him and I didn't even see my rapist. I just saw my son, the one that I'd live and die for, the one I loved more than anything else in the world."

Charlie could feel herself trembling but tried to dismiss it as cold. She focussed on Joey's words, absorbing her pain.

"And then he found out the truth and everything changed," Joey revealed sadly. "In a fit of drunken bitterness, Brett told him how he was conceived. And… well, how do you recover from something like that?"

Charlie continued to hold her hand, tears making their presence known in her eyes. She just hoped that they didn't actually fall.

"Sometimes I wonder if he would have coped better if he'd been a girl," Joey ventured. "A lot of his issue is a fear that he's going to turn out like his father, not that I would ever call him that."

She looked like she had a bad taste in her mouth.

"At the time, Ben was a hormonal teenager," Joey explained. "He was learning to get to grips with all the stresses the adolescence brings. He had a girlfriend and he wanted to get more physical with her. But after he found out where he came from, he panicked whenever they were together. He was terrified that he was going to go too far or hurt her in some way. And I'm guessing that that's what's going on with Ruby. He's attracted to her and he likes her but he's scared of going anywhere near her."

She sighed and found herself leaning against Charlie, who immediately wrapped an arm around her, holding her close and kissing the top of her head. Joey took a few breaths, taking in the subtle hint of Charlie's perfume and the gentleness of her touch.

"He started drinking all the time," she explained. "He was so messed up and drunk and angry and everything that he ended up in rehab. I didn't know what to do with him and my parents were going spare. They disowned Brett and I dread to think what became of him. Then when Ben was really to come home, we realised that home wasn't the place for us now. We had to move away and start again, draw a line under the past and be new people. But… well, I guess it didn't work."

She gave in and cried. Charlie joined her in silence.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie helps Joey get through to Ben…_


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry for disappearing on you. Illness + family birthdays = no energy or time = no updates. But normal service resumes today. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Nine**

Joey felt sleepy, safe in Charlie's embrace. Darkness had settled around them and the only things they could hear were the waves and the sound of their breathing.

"I'm sorry about this," Joey murmured.

She sat up a little straighter and rubbed her face, taking a couple of deep breaths.

"It's fine," Charlie assured her. "I'm just sorry for everything you've had to go through."

Joey sighed heavily.

"It's my own fault," she said. "All of it."

"You weren't to know that your brother was going to expose the truth before Ben was ready," Charlie pointed out.

Joey nodded, resting her face in her palms and her elbows on her knees.

"I just wish I could go back in time and make everything right somehow," she said.

"Well, you can't time travel but you can try to fix things from here," Charlie told her.

Joey looked at her in surprise.

"What can I do?" she asked.

"Sit down and talk properly with Ben?" Charlie suggested. "Really work things out."

"He's not interested in anything I have to say, Charlie," Joey said unhappily.

"What about if there was someone to mediate?" the police officer said.

"Like who?"

"I'd do it."

Joey looked surprised again.

"Why?" she wondered.

"Because we're friends," Charlie said. "Aren't we?"

Joey managed a smile.

"Even though I hit on you?" she wondered.

Charlie smirked at her, although she wasn't about to admit how much she'd enjoyed their kiss.

"Even though," she said. "And I'm not suggesting I can make it all go away but if you could open up the dialogue between you then maybe things will get better."

"It's worth a try," Joey decided.

"Then I suggest you let me take you home and try to figure out where he is."

Nodding, Joey attempted to stand. Charlie also got to her feet, catching her when she stumbled.

"I really shouldn't drink," Joey mumbled.

Chuckling, Charlie slipped her arm around Joey's waist, helping to keep her upright.

* * *

It was late when Joey arrived home, still supported by Charlie and feeling rather unwell.

"Ben?" she called out as they reached the lounge.

She flopped onto the sofa, suddenly awash with exhaustion. Charlie sat beside her.

"Ben?" Joey called out.

She sighed when she heard footsteps thundering down the stairs.

"Where have you been?" her son snapped.

Appearing in the lounge, he looked disgustedly at Joey and Charlie.

"Or more like who have you been doing?" he added bitterly.

Offended, Charlie sat up straighter.

"How dare you?" she said. "I just found your mother in a state because of what happened today."

"So?" Ben said. "Why does that matter?"

"It matters because you have things to sort out and I suggest you get started soon," Charlie replied firmly.

He sank into a chair and sniffed.

"You're such a fucking hypocrite," he told his Mum, aware that she had been drinking.

"That's not really a good way to start, is it?" Charlie said when Joey failed to respond.

"You told her!" Ben realised, his fury gathering momentum.

"What choice did I have?" Joey replied tiredly.

Tears began to fall but she made to attempt to stop them.

"We can't keep living like this," she said sadly.

"What choice is there?" Ben asked in a quieter tone.

"If you could pick a way for all of this to resolve itself, what would you choose?" Charlie asked.

The teenager swallowed a couple of times, twisting his hands together in anxiety.

"I wish Mum had never been attacked," he said honestly. "I wish I didn't exist."

A lump in Joey's throat began to ache and more tears flowed.

"Either that or she'd had an abortion," he added. "I don't want to be here as a constant reminder of what happened to her. I don't want any of this."

Charlie tried to remain composed and not emotionally tied to the situation but it was almost impossible.

"Joey?" she said gently. "How do you feel about that?"

"You're the best thing in my life," Joey told her son. "You mean everything to me and I'd do anything for you. I love you. Of course I wish you'd have been conceived another way but you weren't. I made the decision to keep you because I wanted you."

"You were a child!" Ben said.

"I was," Joey agreed. "But I wouldn't have done anything a different way. I don't get why you can't understand where I'm coming from."

"Because I'm like _him_!" Ben said desperately.

"You are nothing like him!" Joey replied firmly.

"I hurt you," he replied in a softer tone. "What kind of person does that make me?"

"It makes you a person with a lot to deal with," his mother replied.

"It doesn't excuse it," Ben mumbled.

Joey looked helplessly at Charlie. On the way home, Joey had filled her in on some more details, including arguments that had erupted into violence. She'd shown her the car on her wrist where she had broken it, falling through a table when her son had pushed her. He'd punched her in the face on a separate occasion and on another, broken three bones in her hand. She blamed herself for that one. She had tried to hold onto him and he had crushed her in response.

"You're right," the police officer stated. "It doesn't make it right. But the thing is, you're trapped in this scenario and you can't find the way out even though it's obvious."

He looked sharply at her.

"If you don't want to be like the man who raped your mother, be someone else," Charlie told him. "Be the best version of yourself that you can be. Don't drink, don't hurt anyone, don't give into all your fears. Change the path you think you're set on."

"I don't know how!" Ben said, bursting into tears.

Joey moved forward, still a little wobbly, and held him. Ben clung to her, apologising.

"It's okay," Joey whispered. "Let's do what Charlie said."

"I don't know if I can…"

"You can be whoever you want to be," Joey insisted. "We can both leave all the scars of the past behind if we just try."

Nodding, Ben clutched her a little tighter. Charlie watched them, a lump in her own throat and her heart racing with emotion.

* * *

_Next time… Brax and Charlie are frustrated with each other and Ben asks Ruby out on a date…_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

It was much later when Charlie finally left the house. Ben was safely in bed after a lot of tears and things seemed a bit more settled. They had agreed to get family counselling and work hard on fixing their problems. Nothing would be solved overnight but at least they were on the same page now and both wanted to make things work.

Charlie had also put Joey to bed with a bucket just in case, having already made her drink a pint of water and take a couple of pain killers to help with the hangover when she woke up.

In the car, Charlie phoned Brax using her hands-free kit.

"Where have you been?" he asked immediately. "Your shift finished ages ago."

"I had to go and look after Joey," Charlie explained.

Claiming it as work was a bit of a stretch but she was sure she could get away with it. Her role as a police officer meant assisting community members in crisis and Joey was certainly struggling.

"Oh really?" Brax asked.

She could picture him leering just by the sound of his voice.

"What did you do? Anything hot?"

"Brax!" she complained. "Does everything have to be sexual with you?"

"Pretty much," he replied without hesitation.

Charlie sighed. After what she had learned about her friend's past and present, the last idea she wanted to entertain was Brax's longing for a threesome. Sadness swept over her, thinking about what Joey had been through and the repercussions.

"Look, I'll be home soon," she told her husband, ignoring his earlier comments.

"I'll wait up for you," he replied.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Charlie arrived home. The lights were off with Ruby and Casey both asleep in their rooms. She kicked off her shoes and removed her heavy belt, grabbing a glass of water before heading up to bed. As promised, Brax was waiting up for her. The room was lit by a lamp and he didn't have any clothes on. She cringed. He was offended.

"You do realise that married couples sleep together sometimes, don't you?" he snapped.

It was the same old argument and it was frustrating for both of them.

"I know," she said, making a point of changing into fresh pyjamas. "But it doesn't have to be all the time."

"How about once a fucking year?" he shot back.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he put some underwear on before hurrying back under the covers.

"Do you know what kind of night I've had?" she asked, moving to the other side of the bed.

"No," he replied. "Tell me."

"It was shit," she said bluntly. "I spent most of it trying to talk two very distressed people down."

"Joey and Ben?" Brax asked.

Charlie nodded and sighed heavily.

"What happened?" he wanted to know.

"I can't go into detail but it was stressful," she told him.

He looked annoyed at being shut out of a secret but decided not to persist. Changing the subject, he asked if Charlie thought Joey would be interested in their idea.

"Your idea," Charlie corrected. "I have no desire to do this."

Brax smiled and kissed her, remaining confident that he would eventually get what he wanted.

* * *

At school the next day, Ben took Ruby to one side. She hadn't been that keen to spend time with him after yesterday but had agreed anyway.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday," he said. "I was really rude to you and it wasn't fair."

"It also didn't make sense," Ruby pointed out. "You were flirting with me as much as I was with you and then you just changed."

Ben sighed and apologised again. He was still terrified and his issues had far from gone away but, like his mother and Charlie had said, he was never going to be able to get past anything if he didn't try.

"I don't expect you to give me another chance but…"

"But what?"

"I'd love to ask you out properly," he said.

Ruby chewed her lip, eyeing him curiously.

"Go on then," she instructed.

"Would you like to go out with me?" he asked. "Maybe to a movie or something?"

Ruby smiled at him, although she was still cautious.

"I'd love to," she accepted.

* * *

Charlie and Angelo arrived at the restaurant at lunch time for food and so Charlie could catch up with Brax. At least, that's the impression she gave. Food aside, she knew Joey would be working and she wanted to check that she was okay.

"Hey," she greeted warmly, approaching her friend behind the door.

Joey looked sheepish but pleased to see her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Hungover," Joey admitted. "But a lot better than I would have been if you hadn't stepped in to help. Thank you."

Charlie smiled.

"It's okay," she said. "I'm always here if you need me."

Joey thanked her again, touching her hand for a brief moment. At a nearby table, Brax watched them interact. He smiled, convinced that Joey's obvious crush on Charlie would help him get his birthday present.

* * *

_Next time… Ruby and Ben make a go of things and Brax invites Joey to his birthday party…_


	11. Chapter 11

_Just a short one today. I hope you enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eleven**

Despite the awkward start, Ruby was infatuated with Ben and wanted them to be together forever. Charlie was quietly cautious about it, knowing that her daughter's boyfriend had been violent in the past. She felt sad enough about what Joey had been through with him without wanting her daughter to suffer too. But it did seem like he had turned a corner and he and Ruby both seemed very happy together. Charlie had been as good as her word and not shared the information she had been given with anybody else. And Ben and Joey were working hard in therapy.

"We should all have dinner together," Brax suggested.

Charlie had come to visit him – and Joey – on her break from work.

"We who?" Charlie asked.

"Us, Rubes, Casey, Ben and Joey," Brax said.

"Okay," Charlie said a little uncertainly. "Why?"

"Well, things seem to be getting serious with Ben and Ruby," Brax said.

"They're kids," Charlie pointed out. "How could it be serious?"

"We were serious when we were their age," Brax pointed out.

Charlie frowned. She didn't have an answer for that. At Ruby's age, her life had been very serious indeed. It hadn't exactly been the most easy going period in her life.

"Okay," Charlie agreed. "Let's do it."

Brax smiled broadly. She knew he was thinking about his birthday plans. No amount of shutting him down seemed to force him to let go of the idea. He was like a dog with a bone.

"Joey!" he called to his barmaid.

She approached immediately, happy to say hello to his wife. She felt bonded with her after the night that she'd poured her heart out and helped her make things right with her son. She was also grateful that Charlie hadn't made their clumsy kiss a point of awkwardness between them.

"What's up?"

"Would you and Ben like to come for dinner tonight?" he asked. "Here?"

"Oh," Joey said. "Um… yeah, that would be nice."

"We thought it would be good to all get to know each other better," Brax explained.

Charlie silently cringed at the double entendre that Joey had missed.

"That sounds good," Joey said, smiling. "Thank you."

* * *

That evening, Brax, Charlie, Joey, Ben, Ruby and Casey were seated round a large table at the restaurant.

"So, how are you both settling down now?" Brax asked.

He was happy to have been sat between Joey and Charlie, which he hoped was a sign of the future.

"Yeah, it's all going really well," Joey enthused.

She looked at her son who smiled and nodded.

"This is the happiest place we've lived in a while," he added.

Joey could hardly believe the change in him. He seemed to have faced his demons and won, although obviously this was only the beginning of the journey.

"You're definitely stuck with us for a while," Joey said.

"Good!" Charlie and Ruby both said, making the others chuckle.

"We're having a party here next week," Brax told Joey, changing the subject.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, it's my birthday," he explained.

He glanced at Charlie who did not look impressed.

"Oh, happy birthday!" Joey said.

"I've made sure you're not working so that you can come as a guest," he said. "Friday night."

Joey smiled, touched to be invited. Charlie remained silent.

"Thank you," Joey said genuinely touched. "I'll be there."

"Is this party teenager friendly?" Casey asked his brother.

"For the most part," Brax told him.

"Yay!" Ruby said to Ben. "I get to show you off."

Ben looked a little bashful but he was relieved to feel comfortable in his own skin again. It had been a long time.

* * *

_Next time… Joey is offended by Brax's idea…_


	12. Chapter 12

_Welcome to Brax's birthday party! I hope you enjoy it. Tomorrow, I will be posting a new story called 'What If?', which is set on the night that Joey found out about Charlie's betrayal. I hope I've put an interesting spin on it! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twelve**

Most of Summer Bay had turned out for Brax's birthday. He and Charlie were holding the party at the restaurant where there was good food and lots of drink. Having not yet agreed to the present her husband seemed so desperate for, Charlie was struggling. She'd bought him lots of other gifts and provided breakfast in bed followed by a roll in the hay that morning. And yet, he was still desperate to lure Joey into their bed.

When the object of his affection walked through the door with her son, Brax made his way over to them immediately. Charlie sighed as she watched him be his normal charming self but hoped that he wouldn't make some sort of move on her.

Ben headed off to see Ruby who was in a crowd with her school friends as well as her uncle, Casey. Taking a breath, Charlie also approached.

"Hey, thanks for coming," she said politely.

Joey smiled her.

"As if I would miss this," she said.

Brax looked triumphant while Charlie silently warned him not to speak up.

"Can we get you a drink?" Brax asked instead.

"Uh, sure," Joey said. "Just a soft drink though."

"Oh, come on," Brax said. "It's a party!"

Charlie caught up to them, hissing to Brax that it was Joey's choice.

"Ben doesn't have a booze problem anymore, does he?" Brax said.

Joey halted and glared at Charlie.

"He told me," Brax assured her. "Not Charlie."

Joey breathed a sigh of relief and apologised to Charlie.

"It's fine," the police officer assured her.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Joey had reluctantly indulged in a couple of glasses of wine. She had no intention of getting drunk but she had to admit that it was nice to relax with her friends. She found Leah, Henri and Bianca particularly good company but her favourite person in Summer Bay was Charlie. She was under no illusion that anything could ever happen between them but she privately admitted to a small crush.

"Hello, Birthday Boy," Charlie greeted when her husband approached their table.

When the rest of the girls got up to dance, Brax settled himself in the chair beside Joey.

"Are you both having a good time?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's a great party," Joey enthused. "Thank you for inviting me."

"Well, we like you," Brax told her.

Joey blushed shyly while Charlie looked stricken.

"Brax…"

"We were wondering actually…" the restaurant owner began.

"Brax, shut up," Charlie hissed.

Joey's curiosity grew as she looked between husband and wife, who were each sat on either side of her.

"Would you be interested in a three way?" Brax asked bluntly, getting right to the point.

Joey looked bewildered.

"A three way what?" she asked.

Charlie felt like slapping her husband very, very hard.

"You know…" Brax persisted. "A threesome. Sex."

"Sex?" Joey squeaked, feeling increasingly claustrophobic. "I um…"

"Let's just forget about it," Charlie said, glaring at Brax.

"Yeah, let's," Joey agreed, not entirely sure she understood how she felt.

"It's a birthday thing," Brax said, ignoring both of them. "It would be Charlie's present to me."

Joey looked at Charlie.

"Have you ever considered book tokens?"

Despite herself, Charlie laughed.

"Please just forget he asked," she said more soberly.

"Please don't," Brax objected. "It would be great!"

"Okay, you're both straight and I do _not _have sex with men," Joey told him. "There is no way it could possibly work."

"Charlie's up for it," Brax insisted. "I know you have a crush on her."

Joey opened and closed her mouth, unsure of how to respond.

"I don't have a crush on Charlie," she said.

Turning to her friend, she reiterated the comment and desperately hoped she wouldn't allude to the clumsy kiss she had attempted a few weeks before.

"Come on," Brax tried, touching her knee.

Joey leapt up and forced her way past Charlie who attempted to run after her.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Charlie hissed.

Giving him no right of reply, Charlie hurried out into the night, calling her friend's name. She found her sitting in the dark on the beach, much like she had the night she'd told her all about her past.

"Joey, I am so sorry," Charlie said, coming to sit beside her.

"What do you people think I am?"

"We think you're wonderful," Charlie replied.

"So wonderful that you want to drag me into your marriage?" Joey remarked.

"Brax requested this stupid birthday wish ages ago," Charlie explained. "Before we really even knew you."

"How did I become a candidate?" Joey wondered.

"He's attracted to you," Charlie said, adamantly keeping her own feelings out of it.

She had been taking serious note of her husband's employee recently. She felt bonded to her when Joey had explained the situation she and Ben were in. And she had held onto the memory of their kiss since then as well.

"Well, I am _not _attracted to him," Joey replied.

Charlie chuckled.

"We both know that," she promised.

"Then why did he just hit on me?" Joey asked.

"Because he wants this stupid threesome idea," Charlie said. "I never agreed to it."

"Why?" Joey smirked. "What's wrong with me?"

Charlie laughed and hugged her.

"There's nothing wrong with you," Charlie assured her. "If I were to ever agree to such a thing, you'd be my first choice."

"I would?" Joey asked, feeling rather flattered.

"Of course," Charlie replied. "You're beautiful, sweet, smart and funny. I consider you to be a close friend. And I already know you're a good kisser."

She grinned. Joey burst out laughing.

"Well, if I were to agree to such a thing, you'd be my first choice too," she said. "But not your husband. Hey, do you think Brax would ever consider a twosome?"

Charlie laughed.

"That might miss the point completely," she said.

Joey sighed dramatically, happy that Charlie still had her arm around her.

"Maybe," she conceded. "But it would be kind of hot."

"Are you propositioning me?" Charlie chuckled.

"Maybe a little bit," Joey replied.

* * *

_Next time… Joey reconsiders…_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

It was late and almost everyone had gone home. Ben was staying the night in Casey's room on the severe warning that he did not cross the corridor and keep Ruby company – not that Charlie or Joey suspected he would. He had readjusted well and coped with life much better but it was still a case of taking baby steps.

"You really don't have to stay and clean up," Charlie told Joey, the one remaining guest.

"I'm thinking of calling it a night anyway," Brax said, approaching them. "Sweeping floors and stuff isn't exactly how I want to finish my birthday celebration."

He looked between the two of them, clearly hoping that they would change their minds about his proposal.

"Don't even think about it," Charlie warned her husband. "Neither of us are interested."

"I'm not so sure about that," Brax said, taking a seat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Joey asked a little defensively.

"You have a thing for my wife," he said. "And I'm a good guy. I don't mind. I'm not going to give you a hard time. But seeing that you do want her, I think it's only polite to let me be involved too."

Joey flushed and sat opposite him. Charlie continued to hover.

"You realise that I wouldn't let you anywhere near me, right?" Joey said.

"We can lay some ground rules," Brax assured her.

A little bewildered, Charlie sat down too, glancing between her husband and her friend.

"No," Joey eventually said. "I can't do it."

"Not even for someone as hot as Charlie?" Brax asked incredulously.

"That's the difference between you," Charlie told him. "Not everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to get laid."

They exchanged a brief but dark look and he knew she was being hit with memories of various infidelities. It was for those that he had continued pressing her for the threesome. He knew he would hurt her if he went elsewhere again and he genuinely didn't want to do that again.

"I just think that all three of us could have a lot of fun," he stated. "I get a great birthday treat by being with the two hottest women on the planet, Joey gets to do whatever she likes to Charlie and Charlie can… broaden her horizons."

"I don't need to broaden anything," Charlie told him.

"Come on, you'll start offending her soon," Brax remarked.

He smirked at both of them, prompting Charlie to groan.

"We've already discussed it and reached the same conclusion," she said. "Joey isn't offended and she isn't interested, okay?"

She glanced at Joey who was chewing her lip uncertainly.

"Okay?" Charlie repeated.

"I might be a bit interested," Joey mused.

It had been a very long time since she had had an intimacy with anyone and Brax was right about her feelings for Charlie.

"Joey!" Charlie complained when Brax looked triumphant.

Joey shook her head and changed her mind.

"Come on, Charlie," Brax coaxed. "It doesn't have to be that big a deal."

"I don't want to!" his wife told him.

"Let's leave it at that, okay?" Joey said, standing up.

Charlie watched her move, struck by how beautiful she was. She could easily understand why Brax was so attracted to her and she didn't even like girls – not as far as she was aware anyway.

"You want to," Brax realised, watching his wife intently.

Charlie flushed and quickly denied it. Joey turned back to them.

"Tell me right now that you're not attracted to Joey," Brax instructed.

Charlie turned even redder.

"I'm…"

"Now, please bear in mind that most husbands would be seriously pissed off," Brax added. "But I'm comfortable in our relationship. I know you and I will be together forever. But I also think it's really important to keep things interesting."

Charlie hesitated for a moment, looking between Brax and Joey.

"If I'm attracted to both of you and you're attracted to both of us and Joey's attracted at least to you, I don't see what could go wrong," Brax summarised.

"Any one of us could get hurt," Charlie pointed out.

"Not if we set the ground rules," Brax said certainly.

Joey sat back down.

"Well, for starters, I'm not having your _thing_ anywhere near me."

"Not at all?" he asked horrified.

"Definitely not intercourse," she said. "On other things, I might be negotiable but you need to know from the start, I will _not _enjoy it."

Brax shrugged.

"Being with Charlie will more than make up for that, I'm sure," he said. "She doesn't put out very often but when she does, it's damn good."

Charlie frowned, half annoyed and half pleased.

"The second rule is that it only happens once," she said. "I don't want you to get a taste for this and think it can happen any time. It's one birthday treat and one only."

"Sure," Brax agreed, although he believed that to be negotiable also. "Now, how about we go home and get this started?"

* * *

_Next time… Charlie, Joey and Brax spend the night together…_


	14. Chapter 14

_This is my final acknowledgement of 'Guest'. Until I find a way to block them completely, I will be deleting all reviews from this person. I presume there is only one of you._

_Nobody comes on here to be victimised and that's exactly how I feel at the moment. Quite frankly, I have bigger problems to worry about than someone who clearly has nothing better to do that bully others._

_Personally, I feel sorry for someone who is clearly so obsessed with reading the work of a writer they obviously hate. I can't say I've ever had so much time on my hands that I could read and review material I couldn't stand on a daily basis. May I suggest a hobby? And perhaps some common decency?_

_So, this is my last word on the subject. As soon as I get a review from 'guest' it will not be read and it will be deleted so I suggest they stop wasting everyone's time. I have no interest in anything they have to say and I don't wish to inflict their comments on the nice, decent people who actually enjoy my chapters._

_So for the readers that actually matter to me, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

Joey was nervous as she arrived at the Braxton house and followed the married couple into their bedroom. She was aware of her son being asleep behind one of the other bedroom doors and it unnerved her but not quite enough to turn back. She had made out that she fancied Charlie but the secret truth was that it was more than that. She felt a connection with her that she couldn't quite fathom and her crush was far deeper than she would admit.

Brax sat down on the edge of the bed, kicking his shoes off and eager to get started. He leant back on the mattress, supporting himself with his hands.

"Feel free to start," he said.

Charlie and Joey both flushed and looked worried. They both laughed rather shyly before stepping closer for a kiss. Joey closed her eyes, melting against Charlie's lips. She was the best kisser ever and she wanted the moment to last as long as possible. For her part, Charlie was feeling largely the same. It was strange to be kissing someone who wasn't her husband, especially with him in the room.

Brax stood up, eager to join in. Charlie turned to kiss him first. Then he was thrilled to kiss Joey, even if it was brief. While he kissed his wife again, Joey moved around behind Charlie. She touched her hips and kissed her neck. Charlie moaned softly but was not willing to analyse the fact that she was enjoying Joey's touch more than she ever had with her husband.

Charlie kicked her heels off and leant back against Joey who continued to trace her lips and tongue along the bare skin of her neck and shoulders. In front of her, Brax slipped the straps of her dress down and let the garment fall to the floor.

Joey's hands quickly moved to Charlie's breasts. She was surprised by how easy she was finding such a strange situation and realised that she had underestimated what it meant to be intimate with Charlie. She stroked her skin and toyed with her nipples, ready for Brax to lower his head and catch hold of them with his mouth.

Charlie felt her heart thundering in her chest as she savoured each point of stimulation. Her skin tingled as she leant more against Joey who was still kissing her while her hands wandered lower. She moaned again as she felt Joey's fingers slip just inside the top of her one remaining item of clothing. Her excitement grew as Joey began to tease between her legs. She found her most sensitive place with ease and immediately set to work.

Charlie's moans of pleasure pulled Brax out of his assault on her breasts and made him notice that Joey had moved on. Eager to keep up, he sank down on his knees and pulled his wife's underwear down. His mouth worked with Joey's hands, eager to please her and bring her to climax.

The police officer shuddered and relied on Joey to hold her weight as she rushed to climax. She could hardly believe that she had put up a fight about this. So far, it was wonderful. She had never been touched intimately by anyone but Brax, so experiencing someone as amazing as Joey felt incredible, especially as she wasn't being unfaithful to her husband.

Joey held Charlie up as she just about started to calm down. Brax moved away and wiped his mouth while Joey guided Charlie onto the bed.

"Why am I the only one that's naked?" Charlie asked with a frown.

Brax immediately stripped off, revealing exactly how much he was enjoying himself. Joey tried not to grimace, reminding herself that she had to put up with him in order to be with Charlie. When she didn't also undress, Charlie made the bold move of undoing her shirt buttons for her, slipping it off her shoulders and kissing her. Brax tried not to read too much into his wife's eagerness to touch their friend and not him. But the sight of the two women all over each other quickly went from disappointment to lust.

Charlie eagerly shed Joey of her blouse and bra and was about to work on her jeans when Brax stepped closer, clearly eager for attention. Together, Joey and Charlie gave him what he wanted. They kissed each other while they pleasured him.

Once Brax had reached his peak temporarily, he moved to lie on the king size bed. Charlie rid Joey of her jeans and her underwear and they both joined Brax at the head of the bed. Brax watched intently as Charlie's lips worked their way along Joey's body. He got up and moved to the other side of the bed so that he could join in as far as he was allowed.

Joey lay on her back, her eyes closing as husband and wife devoured her. She had no interest in Brax's offerings although she would never be so rude as to reject him when he was essentially allowing her to sleep with his wife. But Charlie's lips, tongue and hands were setting her on fire. She felt Brax's hand touching her rather shyly between her legs and she gasped when Charlie's fingers joined him. Keeping her eyes closed, she parted her legs a little wider, happy to give in to their touch.

Once Joey had climaxed, she lay gasping for breath. She let Brax kiss her once but immediately sought out Charlie's lips as well, wanting to be close to her. Rolling Charlie onto her back, Joey kissed her, losing herself in passion. Brax kept pace with her, watching her every move. She kissed her breasts, her tummy and her thighs, settling between her legs. She was well aware of Brax right next to her, watching closely. He listened to Charlie moan and watched her arch her back. She began to shudder as another orgasm was about to take hold. Overcome with his own passion, Brax nudged Joey out of the way and eagerly penetrated his wife.

Charlie froze, having not expected the moment. Joey had been building her up but Brax had stopped her in her tracks. Joey moved back up the bed and positioned herself behind Charlie who sat up. Brax continued to enjoy himself. Charlie leant back against Joey, ignoring her husband who wasn't doing anything she liked and focussing on Joey's gentle touch instead.

* * *

By the early hours of the morning, Charlie, Joey and Brax were all exhausted. Everyone had had multiple turns with each other, keeping in with the rule that Joey didn't want Brax's bits near hers. The most attention had been paid to Charlie, the person who united both Brax and Joey in desire.

"Are you happy to let yourself out?" Brax asked.

Joey paused, having not thought about having to get home at such a time.

"Brax!" Charlie scolded. "You can sleep here."

She lifted the blanket and welcomed Joey into her arms. Brax moved behind his wife, trying not to feel jealous as the way she held their friend.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie, Joey and Brax face the next morning…_


	15. Chapter 15

_Sorry this chapter is late. I have been babysitting my nephew all day. I'm away visiting family at the moment so my updates might be a bit random but normal service should resume on Tuesday. I will update each day if I can though. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Fifteen**

It took a while for Charlie to remember what had happened the night before so for the first few moments of being awake, she had been most confused as to why she had spent the night with Brax and Joey on either side of her.

"What?" Joey squeaked, waking up, also in a state of confusion.

The two women looked at each other and laughed shyly. Behind Charlie, Brax also stirred. He sat up and yawned, not looking quite as pleased with himself as any of them had expected him to.

"Morning," he remarked.

Charlie and Joey also sat up, both of them feeling a little awkward and yet still connected.

"Well, that was fun," Charlie eventually said.

Joey blushed. Brax permitted himself a smile. Whether he was jealous of the chemistry between Joey and his wife or not, it _had_ been fun. He'd got what he wanted, at least for the most part.

"Yeah," Joey managed.

She could hardly contain her feelings for Charlie and she was already regretting their night. She had hoped that she might get her friend out of her system but now she feared she had just ignited her feelings further.

"Breakfast, anyone?" Charlie suggested.

"We definitely worked up an appetite," Brax remarked, hauling himself out of bed.

Joey quickly looked away when she realised he was naked. Then she froze, remembering that she was naked also.

"I'll get the bacon on," Brax declared.

He pulled on some grey jogging bottoms and headed out of the bedroom door, closing it behind him.

"How am I meant to get out of here?" Joey suddenly wondered.

"The front door is traditional," Charlie smirked, climbing out of bed.

Chuckling, Joey tossed a pillow at her friend who caught it easily. She did not look away as Charlie got dressed.

"I mean, what if I run into the kids?" Joey fretted. "Specifically, _my _kid."

Charlie chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"One second," she said, dashing out of the room and closing the door behind her.

Joey lay back in the bed, confused. Charlie then reappeared.

"You stayed in the spare room," the police officer told her. "It's untouched so there's no way anybody else was in there."

"You have such an eye for detail," Joey smirked, also deciding to get up and grimacing when she realised she only had her party clothes. "You should be a cop."

Charlie laughed.

"Would you like to borrow some clothes?" she offered.

"Would you mind?" Joey replied.

"Of course not," Charlie remarked, digging around in a drawer. "After last night, I think we can cope with sharing clothes."

Joey snorted, accepting the jeans and t-shirt Charlie had found. She put them on and gathered her own clothes up to be taken home.

"Perve," she smirked when she caught Charlie checking her out.

"So sue me," Charlie remarked.

"You know, for a straight girl, you were pretty into it last night," Joey said, stepping a little closer.

Charlie flushed, knowing that it was true. She had been more connected with Joey than she had ever been with Brax. It was unsettling and confusing and she had no idea what she was supposed to do about it. She lost herself in Joey eyes for several lingering moments, reliving the excitement of last night.

"Bacon!" Brax yelled from the kitchen, prompting them to break apart guiltily.

"We should get breakfast," Charlie decided, a little flustered.

"Yeah," Joey agreed, following her out of the bedroom.

* * *

"Mum?" Ben said when Charlie and Joey arrived in the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"

"It got really late," Joey said, hoping she sounded convincing. "So I ended up staying over."

Ben nodded, accepting her reasoning. Charlie stepped up to help Brax with breakfast.

"Did you enjoy your birthday?" she asked quietly, slipping her arm around his waist.

"For the most part," Brax replied.

She decided not to press him but inside, she couldn't help but wonder if he would want to do it again.

* * *

After breakfast, Ben decided to go home with his mother. Ruby and Casey had gone off to get washed and dressed, ready for a chilled out Sunday. Charlie and Brax stacked the dishwasher.

"Is everything okay, Brax?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"Everything's fine," he told her rather sullenly.

Not convinced, Charlie touched her husband's arm, asking him to tell her if there was a problem.

"You're in love with her," he accused.

Charlie stepped back in shock.

"Excuse me?" she managed.

"You're in love with Joey," he repeated.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "Of course I'm not in love with her. I'm in love with you."

"I'm sure you are," Brax agreed. "But there's still something between you."

Charlie chewed her lip.

"Brax, I didn't even want to have that threesome," she reminded him.

"But you thoroughly enjoyed it once you agreed," he snapped.

Charlie sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. Brax came to sit opposite her.

"What was I meant to do, Brax?" she asked. "You wanted to do it, Joey agreed. So what if I threw myself in and had a good time? Was I meant to hate every minute?"

"No," Brax sighed. "I just… you got a hell of a lot more attention than I did. And it was supposed to be _my _birthday present."

Charlie rolled her eyes and laughed softly.

"You did pick a lesbian," she reminded him. "Of course she wasn't going to do that much with you. But I did, didn't I?"

Brax nodded and sighed.

"So, what's the problem?" his wife asked.

"I…"

He frowned as he tried to put it into words.

"Nothing," he eventually decided, shaking his head. "My gorgeous wife and her gorgeous lesbian friend joined me for a threesome on my birthday. What guy would be upset afterwards?"

Charlie looked unsure, trying to figure out if he was being serious or sarcastic. He stood up and kissed her.

"I love you," he said.

Charlie smiled back at him, returning the gesture and hoping that his previous accusations weren't true.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie has a girls' night with her friends with an unplanned end to her evening…_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

"So, did you give Brax his birthday treat?" Henri asked, getting right to the point.

It was a week later and the girls, including Joey had got together for their usual night out.

"Uh…" Charlie faltered.

She glanced at Joey who also looked a little panicked.

"Um…"

"Oh my goodness!" Bianca said. "You did! You did it with Joey!"

Joey turned scarlet.

"How did you…?" Charlie squeaked. "I didn't even say…"

She sat back and folded her arms, pouting.

"How do you know me so damn well?"

"Oh, come on, things have been sizzling between you two for a while," Henri smirked.

Charlie and Joey both looked embarrassed all over again.

"Nothing has been sizzling," Charlie insisted.

"Not even Brax's birthday?" Leah giggled.

She was very happy with her lot. She had a happy marriage with a wonderful man. She might lack the excitement that the other girls had with their partners but it was an excitement she could live without. Experiencing such things vicariously, on the other hand, was perfectly acceptable.

"Okay, that was pretty sizzling," Charlie admitted rather coyly.

She glanced again at Joey who was still blushing but agreed.

"And did Brax enjoy himself?" Bianca asked.

Charlie kept her smile on her face but deep down, she had been troubled by his comments the following morning. He had seemed hurt by the connection she and Joey shared and that had been the last thing she'd wanted to happen.

"I think it's fair to say he did," she said, glancing up at the bar.

They were in the restaurant together, where their nights usually started. He was working and so was Heath. Catching her husband's eye, Charlie smiled. He smiled back and waved before continuing to pour drinks.

"And will it happen again?" Henri asked.

"Maybe on his next birthday," Charlie replied.

In reality, Brax wasn't the only one who had been considering a repeat performance.

"Well, well, Charlie," Bianca teased. "I never knew you had it in you."

She glanced at Joey.

"So to speak," she added.

Charlie and Joey both snorted with laughter.

"So, we know Brax isn't your type," Henri said to Joey. "Does that mean Charlie is?"

"Charlie is everyone's type," Joey giggled. "Anyone who likes girls and has eyes anyway."

Charlie blushed and smiled affectionately at her friend.

"Aw, look at the love!" Leah joked.

"Shut up!" Charlie hissed. "It was a one off. It was an awesome one off but it was a one off."

Neither she nor Joey wanted it to be.

"So, who did what?" Bianca asked, eager for details.

"Bianca!" Charlie protested. "Did I ask you every detail of your threesome with Henri?"

Joey choked on her drink. That was definitely new information.

"Don't kill yourself!" Leah chuckled, patting her on the back.

"Sorry, I was just a bit shocked," Joey giggled.

"You're not the only one with a kinky side," Henri told her proudly.

Joey laughed and shook her head.

"So, details," Bianca requested again.

"I had some ground rules with Brax," Joey assured them.

"But none with Charlie, hey?" Henri teased.

Joey chewed her lip, flushing all over again.

"Well, I'm on human," she smirked.

Charlie found she couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

It was late when the girls decided to call it a night. Henri dragged Heath home before he had finished his shift and Leah and Bianca were both eager to get home to their husbands, leaving Charlie and Joey alone at the table.

"Do I need to get all jealous?" Brax asked good naturedly, approaching their table to collect the endless wine glasses and the glass Joey had been using for lemonade all night.

"No," Charlie assured him, accepting his kiss.

He put the glasses back down and sat beside his wife.

"So, what are you girls planning to do now?" he asked.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Charlie hurriedly let herself, Brax and Joey into their house. With the kids thankfully in bed, the threesome entered the house. Brax hurried to lock up, his excitement threatening to overflow. Only a week ago, he hadn't thought Charlie would ever agree to one threesome, let alone to having another one.

He watched the girls kiss as they fumbled their way to the bedroom. A twinge of jealousy hit him but he pushed it away as he joined them on the bed. Charlie lay back on the mattress between them, enjoying every touch from both of them.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie and Joey have a heart to heart…_


	17. Chapter 17

_Hi everyone. Sorry for not updating over the weekend. I was on Best Friend Duty but all is well now. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Seventeen**

"Oh, did you stay over again?" Ruby asked when Joey appeared in the kitchen the following morning with Charlie.

"Yeah," Joey chuckled, hoping her guilt didn't show on her face. "You'll think I'm moving in!"

"Can Ben move in too?" Ruby grinned.

"No!" her mother told her, sweeping past and flicking the kettle on. "Who wants breakfast?"

"Me!" Casey announced, appearing from his bedroom.

"Have you ever turned down a meal in your life, Case?" Ruby teased.

"Why would I?" her uncle replied, plonking himself down at the table.

"Would you like some?" Charlie asked.

Joey blushed a little, also sitting down at the table as she accepted the offer. The two women smiled a little shyly at each other. Brax appeared in tracksuit bottoms and no top. Joey felt embarrassed. She couldn't help but wonder how she had ended up in this particular situation. She had certainly never expected to end up in any kind of sexual engagement with a man. However, Charlie was the most beautiful and wonderful woman she had ever met so it felt like a small price to pay.

* * *

A few days later, Charlie was gratefully off work and off for a run along the beach. She paused to catch her breath and smiled when she saw Joey emerging from swimming in the sea.

"Nice day for it," she remarked when her friend was within hearing distance.

Joey beamed at her and wrapped her towel around her bikini clad body. Charlie couldn't help checking her out and was rather thrilled to realise that Joey was doing the same with her.

"Are you off work today?" Joey asked, trying not to look at the way Charlie's running gear clung to the body she was learning to know rather well.

"Yeah," Charlie said. "I thought I'd take advantage of a weekday. No kids to ferry around like I have on the weekends."

Joey chuckled and nodded.

"I know that one!" she said.

"We really ought to carpool," Charlie grinned.

"Don't you think we do enough things together?" Joey smirked.

Charlie laughed. Then awkwardness fell between them.

"So… this is kind of a weird situation," Joey ventured.

"Yep," Charlie agreed. "I can't say this is anything I've had to deal with before."

"Me neither," Joey confirmed

More silence felt between them.

"So… what do you think we should do about it?" Joey eventually asked.

"We could… go for a coffee," Charlie suggested.

Joey laughed.

"Not quite a long term solution but… sure," she agreed. "I'll just throw some clothes on over my swim stuff."

"I guess there's no need to look away," Charlie joked.

Joey giggled and headed over to where she had originally dumped her stuff. Charlie couldn't help but watch her every move.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Charlie and Joey were sat at a corner table in the Diner, away from the restaurant where Brax would be working. It almost felt like they were cheating on him by spending time together without him being there but they held on fast to the friendship they had developed long before Joey had accepted the invitation into bed with them.

"So…" they both said at the same time.

Then they laughed.

"Can I ask you a question?" Joey eventually asked.

"Sure," Charlie replied.

"Is last night and, well, you know before… Um… What do you and Brax want from me?"

Charlie exhaled, not entirely sure what her answer should be.

"I wasn't expecting it to happen again after the first time," she ventured.

"Me neither," Joey replied. "But um… I'm kind of glad it did."

Charlie smiled shyly and nodded.

"Me too."

Joey blushed and sipped her coffee, even though it was still a bit too hot.

"I um… well, this whole thing has been spinning me out," she admitted.

"You're telling me!" Charlie laughed self-consciously. "I never realised I could be… attracted to a woman until now."

Joey grinned proudly.

"Then I am exceptionally proud of myself!" she said.

Charlie grinned back at her.

"You should be," she smirked.

"I um… well, I never thought I'd ever do anything with a guy," Joey ventured. "Especially not after… you know."

Charlie nodded in understanding and touched her hand gently. Joey managed a smile back.

"And I'm still not… that way inclined," she continued. "But I um… well, I'll lay all my cards on the table and say that I really like you, Charlie."

The police officer looked surprised but pleased.

"So, if you want to carry on or whatever… I'm game. No offence to your husband because I do think he's a nice guy but… well, you're worth it," Joey told her rather clumsily.

Charlie touched her hand again, her heart pounding a little as she looked into her eyes.

"I never um… well, I've never really enjoyed sex that much," she admitted. "I have my own demons, I guess. Similar to yours. I thought I was going to put up with you, for want of a better phrase, in order to make him happy. I feel… I feel really bad about it but… well, I'm kind of feeling now like I'm putting up with him to be with you."

She looked deep down into her coffee cup, hoping not to be laughed out of the Diner. Joey kept hold of her hand, waiting patiently to meet her gaze again.

"You like me?" she asked quietly but hopefully.

Charlie nodded.

"And I have no idea what I'm meant to do about it," she added.

* * *

_Next time… Joey learns more about Charlie…_


	18. Chapter 18

_Okay, you can thank good old 'Guest' for the extra chapter. I have been ignoring you and deleting you but unfortunately it seems that you really don't have anything better to do than to hassle me._

_Now, I suggest you read this bit slowly so that you can comprehend what I'm saying: This story is about a married woman who falls in love with another woman. It explores the fluidity of sexuality and experimentation. It is about a woman who identifies as gay but is willing to explore for the sake of the woman she has fallen in love with. We are eighteen chapters in now. This is the plot. This has been the plot since chapter one._

_Please get a hobby and stop spending your time hassling people on a fanfiction website. Your behaviour is bullying and it's harassment. I wish to God that this website hadn't stopped the blocking anonymous reviews function because you do not deserve to be able to leave responses like you are._

_If you don't like a story then there is this little x button at the top of the page, which will take you out of it. It is not the law that you read my stories. I do not want you to read my stories. I have no interest in anything you have to say. So please get a life and leave me alone._

_As for the rest of you, thank you for all your support and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

The two women had decided to go for a walk. Suddenly Charlie found herself pouring her heart out about everything upsetting in her life.

"You guys just seem like the perfect couple," Joey mused. "I mean, if you hadn't told me, I would never have thought…"

Charlie sighed and caught hold of her hand as they strolled along a deserted part of the beach.

"That's pretty much why I agreed in the end," the police officer said. "I knew if I didn't give him what he wanted then he'd just go off and sleep with some other woman. At least he was trying to include me."

She laughed a little bitterly and then sighed.

"How many times has he strayed?" Joey wondered.

"Ten or so times," Charlie said vaguely. "Maybe more."

Joey looked shocked.

"How can you stay with him when he's like that, Charlie?"

"Because he's always excused himself," Charlie explained, feeling suddenly like a down trodden woman. "He says he loves me and wouldn't even look at anyone else if I gave him what he wanted. If I gave him what a wife is supposed to give."

Joey furrowed her brow unhappily.

"That doesn't sound very fair," she said.

Charlie sighed and sank down onto the sand. Her friend sat beside her.

"He has a point though," Charlie said, gazing out into the distance. "I'm trying to be better but I still don't like… _it_, particularly. I'd still get out of it if I could."

Joey nodded thoughtfully.

"You seemed to enjoy it when we were…"

"I did," Charlie confirmed. "But like I said back in the Diner, I enjoyed being with you a lot more than I did being with him."

Joey nodded thoughtfully, trying not to get too carried away with the idea that Charlie was genuinely attracted to her.

"When we did it the other night, I… I only did it because I wanted to be with you again," Charlie admitted. "That's terrible, isn't it?"

"Not from where I'm sitting," Joey smirked. "But yeah, from your husband's perspective, it would be."

"I think he might have some idea," Charlie sighed.

Joey looked worried as Charlie explained Brax's former comments about their first night together.

"What do you think this is, Charlie?" Joey asked, deciding to get right to the point.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, is it a sexuality thing or… you mentioned demons from your past."

Charlie shifted positions and rested her arms on her knees.

"I was attacked like you were when I was a teenager," she admitted.

Her voice and her body trembled. It was the first time she had told anyone in a long, long while. The only person who had ever known the truth was Brax. Not even her parents or her best friends were aware that anything had happened to her.

"Charlie…" Joey said gently, touching her arm.

Charlie rested her face on her arms, turning to look at her friend.

"You're the only person aside from Brax that knows about it," she revealed.

"Not even Leah or Bianca or Henri?" Joey asked.

"Not even them," Charlie confirmed.

"Well, thank you for trusting me," Joey said softly.

She could empathise far too much.

"That's the other part of it," Charlie continued. "I do trust you. I love… I love spending time with you. You've become a closer friend to me in just a few months than even my closest friends have in years."

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. She could feel Joey gazing at her.

"You make me laugh, we never run out of things to say… And well, now I know what it's like to be… intimate with you, I just… I just want to do it again."

Joey couldn't help but smile.

"I feel the same about you," she admitted.

Charlie sat up straighter.

"You do?" she asked.

"I adore you, Charlie," Joey said. "And we can… you know, we can carry on. With Brax, obviously but…"

She sighed. It didn't sound very right or fair to either of them.

"I guess it's better than carrying on without him," Charlie mused. "But I feel so guilty to have more feelings for you than I've ever had for him. Especially when… He stood by me when any other guy would have and probably should have walked away."

"Because you were raped?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded and sighed again. Joey instinctively put her arm around her.

"Ruby isn't his," Charlie admitted.

She felt Joey freeze.

"Sorry?" the barmaid asked a little anxiously.

"Ruby was conceived the same way Ben was," Charlie confessed. "I told Brax what happened and after he and Heath – who didn't know anything – beat the shit out of the guy that did it, we hatched a plan. We told the world that we'd got carried away, slept together before we were ready and were just another statistic of teenage pregnancy."

She looked deep into Joey's eyes.

"How can I betray him or leave him when he did that for me, Joey?" she asked. "He protected me. He raised Ruby as if she was really his. He's her Dad. He's my husband. That's why I've put up with his cheating and… and everything. I want to be with you. But I couldn't live with myself if I hurt him after the way he stood by me."

* * *

_Next time… Brax goes to great lengths to convince Charlie they should have a baby…_


	19. Chapter 19

_Thank you for your support with this one. I know it's a bit different but I really appreciate those who are happy to go with it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Nineteen**

It had been a few weeks and Charlie still couldn't quite get her head around the situation she had found herself in. She was married to Brax and everyone else thought everything was perfect but behind closed doors, they were both unhappy. They sniped at each other constantly and the only time they were really friendly was when Joey agreed to come home with them.

"Oh come on, Charlie," Brax complained when Charlie ignored his attempts to seduce her.

"I have to get ready for work," his wife complained.

"Do you realise that the only time you're actually interested in me is when Joey's here too?" he asked, remaining in bed but leaning forward.

She turned back to face him.

"That's not true," she said. "We do _something _pretty much every morning."

She was half telling the truth. They did indeed do something to keep him happy of a morning but the only time she really wanted anything to happen was when Joey was there too. It was like Brax had become the chore before the reward. So long as she and Joey, who were both battling with their feelings for each other, paid him enough attention, they could make love and enjoy themselves.

"Is it too much to ask to have sex with my wife?" Brax asked dramatically, throwing himself back against the pillows.

"We don't have any condoms left anyway," Charlie said curtly, hovering by the door so that she could leave, get showered, dressed and go to work.

"We don't _have _to use them," Brax ventured.

Charlie looked confused.

"You know what the pill did to me," she reminded him. "I didn't get on with it at all."

Brax sat up and perched on the edge of the bed. Charlie sighed internally, knowing that he was after another 'serious conversation'. She came to sit beside him on the bed and allowed him to take her hand.

"Why don't we have a baby together?" he suggested.

She stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"Sorry?" she eventually asked.

"Let's have a baby," he repeated.

"Brax, we've almost reached the end of raising two of them," she pointed out. "Don't you want your freedom?"

"I want a child that's mine," he snapped.

She glared at him.

"So Ruby doesn't count now, does she?" she accused.

"I didn't mean that," he protested.

"Then tell me what you meant," she said, already bitter and angry.

"I just meant… we're in our early thirties," he said. "This is around the time that people start having a family."

"We already have a family," she told him through gritted teeth. "We have Ruby and Casey and that's enough for me. I thought you felt the same."

"Well, I don't," he said curtly.

"Because they don't count?" she said. "Because Casey's your brother and Ruby's…"

"Ruby is mine," he affirmed. "I love her like she was my flesh and blood. I'd die for her. But I didn't create her with you, Charlie. I want to be a proper biological Dad."

Charlie shook her head and left the room. This was a discussion she did not want to have.

* * *

Still somewhat thrown by the conversation she'd had with Brax earlier in the day, Charlie met up with Joey at lunch time. They often met up in secret, as if they were having an affair. If they were, it was a mental one. As much as they would both love to give into their hormones, they were only intimate when Brax was included. Neither of them could cheat on him, no matter the circumstances.

"So, he suddenly wants to have a child?" Joey asked as they tucked into sandwiches on the beach. "Without any warning?"

"Yep," Charlie said grimly. "Once upon a time, I probably would have agreed and I guess on the surface, it makes sense but… Well, I don't need to explain the situation to you, do I?"

"Nope," Joey agreed.

She sighed in empathy for her friend and touched her hand. They both felt the spark between them.

"But he makes me angry too," Charlie sighed. "So what if Ruby isn't biologically his? She is in every other way. She has no idea how she was conceived. He's her Dad. Why isn't that enough for him? And we ended up with Casey when he was still pretty young so we got two of the price of one anyway. Why does he want another one?"

"I have a theory," Joey ventured. "But you might not like it."

Charlie offered her full attention.

"Maybe he can feel you slipping away," Joey suggested quietly, still holding her hand. "Maybe this is a way of keeping you close to him."

Charlie sighed and nodded, flopping back dramatically on the sand.

"I was thinking much the same thing," she admitted.

Joey moved to lie on her side, gazing into Charlie's face.

"He's desperate to keep me closer," the police officer said. "He wants a baby. He wants to cement us ever closer together. And all I want to do is divorce him and run off with you."

Trying and failing to stop herself, Joey kissed her softly on the mouth. Charlie couldn't resist.

"There are so many things I want to say to you," Joey whispered sadly.

Charlie gazed into her eyes.

"Like what?" she wondered.

Joey drew away and shook her head. They both sat back up.

"Now isn't the time," she decided. "Things are difficult enough for you already."

Charlie smiled gratefully, leaning against her.

"Why does everything have to be so complicated?"

* * *

Charlie was surprised to be presented with flowers when she arrived home from work.

"What did you do?" Casey asked Brax.

"None of your business," his brother replied, offering the flowers out to his wife.

Charlie accepted them cautiously and allowed him to hug her.

"I bought something else too," he whispered.

Keeping them hidden from view of the kids, Brax showed her a packet of condoms. Charlie forced a smile but protected or not, she had no desire to have sex with him.

"And I thought we could go out tonight," he said. "Maybe for some dinner and um… well, I booked a motel."

Charlie raised her eyebrows.

"Why?" she asked.

"So we can make as much noise as we like," he said suggestively.

She tried not to let her cringe be visible.

"That sounds great," she lied.

* * *

That evening, Joey was enjoying a rare night off. She was sat in front of the television when Ben, Ruby, Casey, Dex, April, Xavier, Indi and Romeo all marched through the front door.

"Hey, Mum," Ben greeted.

Joey turned away from her programme and greeted her son and his friends.

"Am I being invaded?" she joked.

"Well, you _are _always at our house," Casey joked.

"Good point!" Joey agreed good naturedly.

"Do you mind if we hang out here?" Ben asked politely.

Since they had had their heart to heart and had continued to work on their relationship through counselling sessions, things had become a lot easier between them. Joey almost felt like she had her son back.

"Nope," Joey said, turning the TV off. "I'm going to have an early night anyway. Make sure you're all out of here by ten though."

"We promise," Ben said. "We'll behave."

He allowed her to pat him on the shoulder before heading off to her room.

"Your Mum is seriously hot," Xavier, the only currently single member of the group remarked.

"I heard that!" Joey yelled over her shoulder. "Thanks!"

The rest of the teenagers laughed as Xavier turned crimson.

* * *

"Brax, I don't think…" Charlie said awkwardly.

It was too late. He exploded in orgasm inside her.

"Brax!" Charlie said, pulling away from him.

They had followed all his plans for the evening and had a nice meal together before heading to the motel. He'd been particularly attentive and seemed to have learnt a fair few things about what she really enjoyed from Joey. But something had felt wrong during a very brief intercourse.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Did you put the condom on?" she asked.

"You saw me do it," he pointed out.

Furrowing her brow, Charlie looked round. Brax cringed with guilt when she spotted it discarded on the floor.

"Brax!" she snapped.

"It was an accident," he lied.

Charlie shook her head. She hurried out of bed and threw her clothes on.

"Charlie, what's the matter?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"You just tried to trick me into getting pregnant, didn't you?" she accused.

"I…"

He couldn't deny it.

"What's so wrong with that?" he eventually asked.

"If that's a genuine question then you have some serious morality issues," she snapped.

"I don't mean about tricking you," he said. "I meant about having a baby."

"I don't want one!" Charlie yelled.

He was almost relieved when she stormed out of the motel room completely. Her absence meant he hadn't said anything he knew he would regret.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie turns to Joey in her hour of need and Brax lets a secret slip…_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

Ruby, Casey, Ben, Romeo, Indi, Dex, April and Xavier all looked a little alarmed when Charlie arrived home rather early and rather irate.

"Party's over," Ruby's mother snapped. "Go home."

Then she stormed into her bedroom and slammed the door.

"I think you'd better head out," Ruby said, a little embarrassed, not to mention worried about the state of her parents' marriage.

They thought they were hiding it but she had heard them argue a lot recently. Casey stood and showed them all out while Ruby knocked tentatively on Charlie's bedroom door.

"Mum?" she said anxiously.

She opened up to find her mother face down on the mattress. She shook like she was crying.

"Mum?" Ruby repeated, coming to perch on the bed.

Charlie sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked, all the while knowing that it was a rather stupid question.

"Yeah," Charlie lied. "I just had an argument with your Dad, that's all."

She forced a smile and put her arm around her daughter.

"You guys seem to be fighting a lot lately," Ruby ventured.

"Yeah," Charlie sighed. "But we'll get through it. We always do."

"What are you fighting about?" Ruby enquired.

"Just… grown up stuff," Charlie replied. "Don't worry about it."

Ruby nestled herself against her Mum.

"I love you," she said sincerely.

"I love you too," Charlie said.

* * *

First thing in the morning, Charlie headed to the chemist. She then went to Joey's house, bursting into tears on her doorstep. Joey immediately gathered her complicated friend into her arms and held her.

"What's happened?" she asked worriedly.

"Brax!" Charlie sobbed.

"What? What did he do?"

She took her hand and led her through to the lounge. Through tears, Charlie explained the events that had transpired the night before.

"What?" Joey asked, alarmed.

She reached out and cupped her face, gazing into her sad eyes.

"He really did that?" she asked. "Tried to trick you into getting pregnant?"

Charlie nodded.

"When you expressly said you didn't want a baby?"

Charlie nodded again. Joey dropped her hands, angry.

"Fucking bastard!" she said.

Charlie sank back onto the sofa, taking her shoes off so that she could curl up.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked more softly.

"Pissed off," Charlie said. "Hurt."

"Do you think he might have succeeded?" Joey wondered.

"I hope not," Charlie said. "I went to the chemist first thing this morning for the morning after pill. It can take a while for you to actually get pregnant after intercourse so hopefully I've fixed the situation before a baby has the chance to exist. But I don't… I don't feel all that comfortable with that."

Joey nodded, shifting to sit cross legged on the couch, facing her.

"I don't believe in abortion and stuff," Charlie said awkwardly. "I mean, I understand that other people might choose to do it but I never thought I'd do it myself. And I wouldn't, you know? If I was actually pregnant and I hadn't realised or something then I wouldn't hesitate in having the child. But if I stop it before it exists, do you think that's okay?"

Joey was touched by how genuinely terrified she looked.

"I think each and every person has to do what's right for them," she said, taking hold of both her hands. "You might not even have been pregnant in the first place. And it's not like you go around having unprotected sex all the time and popping pills. Brax tricked you into doing something he knew you didn't want. I think you should cut yourself some slack."

"I love Ruby so much," Charlie said, holding her a little tighter. "But I can't handle being forced into having a child all over again."

Fresh tears crept out. Joey moved forward to hold her.

* * *

Charlie had never been so grateful to have the day off work. She'd spent pretty much the whole time with Joey who had been a wonderful support to her. If she hadn't felt so angry with Brax, she knew she would feel conflicted. But right now, she was happy with her feelings for Joey. And if she ever saw her husband again, it would be too soon.

She sighed heavily when she saw his car in the drive. As she pulled into her own parking space, she braced herself for having to face him. He was on the sofa watching TV when she came in. Turning the television off, he stood up and immediately apologised.

"You can't just say sorry and have it all forgiven so easily, Brax," Charlie said firmly. "You tried to force me to get pregnant."

"Charlie, you know it wasn't like that," he said desperately.

"Then what the hell was it like?" she demanded. "Because I honestly have no idea what the hell you were thinking!"

He sighed and sat down.

"I was just trying to fix things," he said.

Charlie shook her head and sat beside him.

"Things were fine before you got this stupid baby idea in your head," she told him.

He looked at her, resting his forehead on his palm.

"What planet are you on?" he snapped. "And speaking of which, do I even need to ask where you've been today?"

"I've been with Joey," Charlie told him.

He looked disgusted.

"You're not even bothering to hide it then," he accused.

"Hide what?" she snapped.

"That you're fucking Joey!" he shouted, standing up and beginning to pace.

"We only do that when you're involved," she insisted. "No need to hide that, is there?"

He sneered at her.

"I know you've got something going on with her," he said. "I feel like an outsider in my own fucking marriage."

He was relieved to be successfully deflecting attention. She stood too and looked in square in the face.

"There's a connection between Joey and I," she admitted. "But unlike some people, I don't believe in cheating on your partner."

"Oh so we're arguing about _that _now, are we?" he snarled.

"No, actually," Charlie said, getting back to the point. "We're arguing about the fact that you tried to trick me into getting pregnant!"

Her pulse race as fury pounded through her body.

"Excuse me if I want a child of my own!"

"You _have _a child of your own!" Charlie insisted.

"No!" he shouted, picking up his coffee mug from the table and smashing it against the wall behind Charlie. "I have the child of Grant fucking Bledcoe! That's what I have!"

Charlie hated him.

"Who's Grant Bledcoe?" came a quiet voice.

Both parents turns to find Ruby hovering at the bottom of the stairs looking desperately anxious.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie and Brax have some explaining to do…_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

"He's nobody, Ruby," Charlie said quickly.

She could see her entire world crumbling all around her. She felt sick. For his part, Brax looked horrified and rather guilty. Ruby stepped further into the room.

"He must be someone," she pointed out uncertainly. "And considering you only have one child…"

"Honestly, Ruby," Charlie lied. "It's nothing for you to be worried about."

Ruby moved closer, the defiant look on her face that she had inherited from her mother.

"I am worried," she said.

Charlie glanced at Brax, who sank into a chair looking helpless.

"Who is Grant Bledcoe?" Ruby demanded, although she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

She was frustrated by the silence.

"Who is Grant Bledcoe?" she shouted, making even herself jump.

"He's your father!" Brax blurted out.

Charlie's hatred for her husband increased. She stared at her daughter, who stared right back at her.

"No…" she said. "Dad…"

Brax held his head in his hands. He had nothing left to say. Having heard the commotion, Casey came out of his room, hovering in the doorway full of concern.

"Mum, how can Dad not be my Dad?" Ruby demanded. "You've been together for a hundred years!"

"I…"

Charlie looked at Brax again but he continued to be no help.

"Oh my…" Ruby gasped.

Charlie closed her eyes, dreading the conclusion her daughter would come to.

"You cheated on him!" Ruby accused.

Charlie and Brax both looked up sharply. Brax tried to protest but Charlie interrupted.

"We were just kids," she said, opting to go with the lie. "It was just a mistake."

The look of disgust on her daughter's face broke her heart.

"How could you?" Ruby uttered.

Charlie swallowed.

"Look, all's forgiven now," she said uncertainly.

Brax was staring at her.

"I told Brax everything that happened," Charlie continued. "He understood. And he agreed to stand by me and raise you as his own."

"But I'm not his own," Ruby snarled. "I'm the product of you being a fucking slut!"

"Ruby!" Brax scolded, but he knew it was no good.

The look Ruby gave Charlie was heartbreaking for all concerned.

"You disgust me," Ruby told her mother.

Without another word, she stormed out of the house.

"Um…" Casey started.

"Got to your room, Casey," Brax snapped. "This has nothing to do with you."

"But…"

"Go to your room!" Brax shouted so loudly that it vibrated through the house.

The teenager hurried up the stairs.

"Was that really necessary?" Charlie asked, half bitter and half tired. "He didn't do anything wrong."

"Why did you let her think you cheated on me?" he asked her.

"Because I didn't want to destroy her life," Charlie replied, thinking of what Joey had been through with Ben.

"_Did _you cheat on me?" Brax asked.

"If you have to even ask that, then you haven't got a damn clue who I am," Charlie told him.

He licked his lips, feeling like his head was going to explode with everything that had happened.

"I'm sorry," he said. "The last thing I ever wanted was for her to know she wasn't mine, Charlie."

"Well, you should have thought of that before then, shouldn't you," Charlie replied, standing up.

She did not want to cry in his presence.

"Well done, by the way," she said. "I mean, that was a seriously impressive fuck up. You've ruined your marriage, your relationship with your daughter and even more spectacularly, _my _relationship with _my _daughter. Bravo. I hope you're proud of yourself."

Without giving him the opportunity to respond, she also stormed out of the house.

* * *

While Brax sought solace in the bottom of a bottle, Ruby had gone to the beach and met up with Ben. She had tearfully informed her boyfriend that she was the product of an affair and the man she called her father wasn't really hers.

"I don't even know why he stuck around," Ruby sobbed. "Why has he let me call him Dad all these years when…?"

She trailed off, engulfed in grief. Ben held her as she cried.

* * *

Similarly, Charlie had gone right round to see Joey, who had held her tenderly and kissed her temple, promising, although she didn't know how, that everything would be alright. She hoped she was telling the truth.

* * *

_Next time… gossip spreads through Summer Bay as Ruby tries to get her head around everything…_


	22. Chapter 22

_For CJ4Eva. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Two**

"So, Ruby thinks you had an affair…" Joey clarified, once Charlie had told her the whole story.

"Please don't judge me…" Charlie begged.

Joey put a reassuring arm around her.

"Of course I'm not judging you," she said. "I mean, me of all people…"

She trailed off sadly. Charlie nodded and sank against her. She felt like her world was ending.

"I just kept thinking about Ben and I… I know if you could have avoided him knowing the truth about what happened to you…"

Joey nodded and held her closer. She understood completely.

"But now my baby girl thinks I'm a slut and…"

She began to weep. Joey sat back against the couch and gathered Charlie into her arms. She lay there, feeling a mix of peace and despair. She felt sick that Ruby thought so badly of her but being in Joey's arms felt like just the right place.

* * *

"I really think you should sit down and talk to her," Ben coaxed.

He and Ruby were still on the beach and she had not stopped crying.

"I never want to see that woman again!" she burst out.

"I know you're angry with her," Ben replied reasonably. "But she's your Mum. You only get one of those."

She laughed bitterly.

"And as many Dads as she chooses," she said.

"Ruby…"

"How could she and Dad lie to me like that?" Ruby said, desperate for him to have some kind of answer. "How could he stick by her when she betrayed him? How could she let him?"

"Well, presumably because they love each other," Ben said. "I'd kill for my Mum to have had that kind of support when she was young and pregnant."

Ruby nodded. Ben hadn't opened up to her all that much about his own parenthood, just that his father had never been around and he'd never met him. But it seemed like a sensitive subject.

"I'm glad that Dad cared that much," she said softly. "I just wish they'd been honest…"

"Maybe they were going to be one day," Ben suggested. "Maybe they were just waiting for you to be ready."

* * *

Somehow, the news about Ruby's paternity had already spread. It was one of the disadvantages of living in a small town.

"I just can't believe it," Bianca mused.

She had tried and failed to get through to her best friend on the phone.

"I know," Leah sighed, having joined her, Henri, Heath and Liam at a Diner table on her break. "Who do you think the Dad really is?"

"I don't know," Heath said. "But if I ever get my hands on him, I'll kill him."

Henri elbowed him.

"That's not going to help!" she snapped.

"He helped the stupid bitch dupe my brother into being a Dad when he was still a kid!" Heath protested.

"By all accounts, Brax knew what he was doing when he took Ruby on," Leah said. "Charlie didn't lie to him."

Heath frowned, not looking convinced.

"If that's true then he's an idiot," he decided.

He turned to Henri.

"I swear, if you ever cheated on me…"

He didn't need to finish the sentence.

"Look, we need to give Charlie a chance to explain," Bianca declared. "She and Brax have been in love forever. They'll get through this. They could get through anything."

* * *

"I just don't know if we can get through this," Charlie said sadly. "Everything feels so fragmented right now. Brax is a stranger to me after what he did last night and Ruby…"

She sighed heavily, still comforted to be in Joey's arms.

"Well, I'm sorry for my part in… complications," Joey ventured.

Charlie turned and gazed into her eyes.

"Joey, you're pretty much the only thing keeping me going at the moment."

Leaving their morals at the door, they kissed.

* * *

Ruby arrived home to speak to her father, or at least the man she had been calling her father for the duration of her life. She stopped abruptly when she overheard the argument he was having with Heath.

"She didn't have an affair, okay?" Brax snapped at his brother. "She was raped!"

Ruby's world crumbled all over again.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie contemplates telling Ruby the truth, not knowing that Brax is doing exactly that…_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

It was a short while later. Charlie lay with her head in Joey's lap. She closed her eyes as Joey gently played with her hair.

"What are you going to do?" Joey asked softly.

Charlie sighed, keeping her eyes closed.

"Stay here like this forever and pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist?" she asked hopefully.

Joey chuckled softly.

"I'm game," she said. "But I don't think that's going to fix things with Ruby."

Charlie sighed again. She dreaded to think what her daughter thought of her now.

* * *

"What do you mean, Mum was raped?" Ruby asked, her voice shaking.

Ben stood quietly behind her, reeling from the all too familiar revelation.

"Ruby…" Brax faltered.

He was genuinely distraught to have let the cat out of the bag – again. Twice in one day really had to be a record. His family were falling apart and as much as he would like it to be Charlie's, he knew it was his fault.

"Dad?" Ruby demanded. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I think I'll jet," Heath said awkwardly, dashing out of the house as quickly as he'd come.

"How the hell was I conceived?" Ruby yelled, making her father and boyfriend both jump.

Hearing it all, Casey dared not come out of his room.

"Look, let's sit down and talk about this," Brax suggested.

He took a seat and gestured for Ruby to join him.

"You can go, by the way," he told Ben rather rudely. "This is family business."

Ben looked to Ruby, wanting her to decide if she wanted him to leave or not.

"He can stay," Ruby stated.

"Rubes…"

"Let him stay!" Ruby insisted. "Right now, he's the only person I actually trust not to lie to me."

The teenagers both sat with Brax as he prepared to tell them the truth.

* * *

"Part of me wants to tell her the real truth," Charlie admitted, still resting on Joey. "I don't want her thinking that I was a cheat and a slut and whatever other awful things she thinks of me right now. But at the same time, I don't want to hurt her. She'll feel worse knowing that she was the product of violence, won't she? Worse than an affair?"

Joey hesitated. She had been through hell with Ben and she didn't want either Charlie or Ruby to go through it. But she had always believed that honesty was the best policy on most occasions.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, usually honesty is the right course of action. But then… It will be a hell of a thing for her to take in. Well, you know what Ben and I went through and… I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm not being very helpful, am I?"

"I don't think anyone _can _help," Charlie sighed. "I think I might be a lost cause."

Joey sighed sadly and stroked Charlie's face. She gazed at her, thinking of all the things she wanted to say. But it wasn't the right time. Charlie was going through enough without Joey complicating things even further.

"You'll get through it," she promised. "And I'll do whatever I can to help you."

* * *

"Your Mum was very young," Brax explained.

He was upset at having to be the one to do this. It was Charlie's responsibility to explain but she wasn't there. And he suspected he knew exactly where she was.

"She and I were together but it wasn't a sexual relationship or anything," he continued. "We were in love and we were planning to be together forever, which I still hope we will be."

He was very aware of how much they had been fighting recently and he believed his daughter was too.

"But one night at a party, another boy in our year attacked her and she got pregnant," she said.

Tears formed in Ruby's eyes.

"She never told anyone except me," Brax explained. "And then when she found out she was pregnant, I vowed to stand by her. We told everyone that the baby, that _you, _were mine."

"But I'm not," Ruby said bitterly.

"Not… not biologically," Brax said. "But in every other way, you are. I love you so much, Ruby."

"That's not how it sounded earlier," Ruby told him. "It sounded like you couldn't stand me."

"I love you," Brax insisted. "The fact that you're not technically mine rarely even occurs to me."

"Then why did you say what you did?" Ruby asked.

"Because I was angry with your Mum," Brax said. "That's all. People say things in the heat of the moment that they don't even mean."

"Really?" Ruby said. "Because I read that that's when people say exactly what they mean."

Denying him a right to reply, Ruby left, taking Ben with her.

* * *

_Next time… Ben opens up to Ruby who decides to try and talk things through with Charlie…_


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

Ben and Ruby were sat on the cliffs, legs hanging over the edge as they looked at the sea below. Ben looked out at the horizon and then into his girlfriend's sad face. He recognised the look of sheer devastation there. Taking a deep breath, he broached a subject he never thought he would.

"Ruby?" he said. "Can I tell you something?"

She turned her tear stained face towards him.

"You're not about to dump me for being so disgusting, are you?" she asked.

She laughed bitterly and shook her head. Only yesterday, she had believed her life was perfect. Now it all just felt like a lie.

"No," he said. "But I want to tell you something I never thought I'd share with anyone. Something I never thought I _could _share. It… it nearly ruined my life."

"What did?" Ruby wondered.

"My Mum was raped too," Ben told her. "Like… like Charlie was."

Ruby just stared at him. Ben swallowed, feeling decidedly uncomfortable.

"I… I… It took a long time to even start dealing with it," Ben revealed. "I drank too much. I hurt my Mum."

He looked down, suitably full of shame.

"I took it all out on her when none of it her was her fault, you know?"

She nodded, still feeling terrible for the way she had treated her mother when she'd thought she'd had an affair. She just hoped she would have the chance to apologise.

"That's why I freaked out when we first realised we liked each other," Ben explained. "I was so scared that I was… like him and…"

Ruby squeezed his hand.

"You could never be like someone like that," she said.

Then she frowned.

"Do you think I could be like this Grant Bledcoe man?" she worried.

He lifted her hand and kissed it.

"Impossible," he said. "You very obviously take after your Mum."

They smiled sadly at each other.

"I have no idea what I'm meant to do next, Ben," she admitted.

"Do you want my opinion?"

"Yes please."

"Go and see Charlie," he said. "Get her to explain as far as she can. Tell her how much you love her. And most importantly, do not let any of this get in the way of your relationship with her. It nearly destroyed Mum and I and I don't want that to happen to either of you."

Ruby nodded.

"Where do you think she is?"

"I'm guessing my place," he told her. "She and Mum are pretty inseparable these days."

Ruby nodded in agreement. They stood and prepared to face reality.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had ventured as far as sandwiches but Charlie was still very tearful.

"What am I going to do, Joey?" she asked, genuinely hoping for an answer. "How am I ever going to stop Ruby hating me? I love her so much. I'd do anything for her. I'd die for her."

"I know," Joey said softly. "I feel the same about Ben. But if he and I can fix things then I have no doubt that you and Ruby can."

Charlie sighed heavily.

"I don't know whether to tell her the truth or not," she said. "I mean, on the one hand, I don't want her knowing the kind of violence that she came from but…"

"I already know," Ruby said from the doorway.

Charlie jumped and dropped her sandwich in surprise.

"Ruby…"

"Dad dropped you in it again," the teenager said.

Ben stood quietly behind her.

"I know what really happened," Ruby added.

Charlie took a deep breath and stood.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," she said.

Ruby surprised them both by flinging herself into her arms. Charlie closed her eyes and held her tight.

"I understand why you did," she said. "I'm grateful."

"I'm sorry," Charlie said, holding onto her for all she was worth. "I didn't know what the right thing to do was and…"

She trailed off helplessly.

"I'm glad I know," she said. "I think. I mean, I feel sick about it and the thought of what happened to you… But… but we can deal with it."

Behind them, Joey and Ben exchanged sad glances.

"But I need you to tell me what happened," Ruby requested. "Please?"

Charlie sighed heavily and sat down, pulling Ruby with her as she prepared to tell the whole truth.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie reveals all to Ruby, Joey and Ben…_


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

_Sixteen years ago…_

Charlie was a firm believer that teenage years were the best of your life. At least, they were as far as she had experienced and she wasn't entirely sure she could be happier than she was right at this moment.

At fourteen, she knew she had it made. She had the two best friends in the world, Leah and Henri and she adored her boyfriend, Brax. She was convinced that he was the person she was going to marry and spend the rest of her life with.

It was a Saturday evening and she headed home after an evening with her friends. It was a ritual they had been performing for a long time and it was yet another thing that Charlie hoped would last forever.

"Hey, Charlie," said a voice.

The teenager turned to find a boy from school, Grant Bledcoe stride up alongside her.

"Um… hi," she said.

They didn't exactly hang out in the same circle, although with Summer Bay being such a small town, it was hard not to know everybody relatively well.  
"How are you?" he asked.

She shrugged and kept walking.

"I'm good," she said. "You?"

"Yeah, I'm good," he replied. "Have you had a good night?"

"Yeah," she told him. "Just been out with the girls."

"Do you want to hang out for a bit?" he asked.

Charlie furrowed her brow in confusion.

"I think I'm just going to head home," she said. "Maybe another time."

She walked on. He kept pace with her.

"Why won't you hang out with me?" he asked.

"Because it's late," she said, feeling unsettled.

Living in a small town like she did, she had always felt safe. Up until now. Now she was a little nervous. That feeling jolted to fright when he grabbed her arm and forced her onto the ground.

* * *

For weeks, Charlie was the ghost of her former self. The joy she has always found previously in life was gone. She was a shell and she never thought she would be happy again. Leah, Henri, Brax and even Heath had been concerned about her, wondering what had happened to make the light in her eyes die so suddenly.

Escaping school and having made a quick and discreet detour on the way home, Charlie locked herself in the bathroom. Trembling, she read the instructions on the home pregnancy test she'd bought. She followed them. Waiting for the result were some of the longest moments of her life. Her heart broke when the test read positive.

* * *

"Please tell me what's wrong, Charlie," Brax begged.

He was growing increasingly frustrated. While she had made it adamantly clear that she was not ready to sleep with him, once upon a time, she had at least been affectionate. Now she barely kissed him and never wanted to spend time alone together anymore.

"Nothing," Charlie lied.

She had barely stopped crying for days. Well, no, it was weeks. She'd barely stopped crying since the night she had been raped.

"Charlie…"

He touched her hand. She jolted away like she had been burnt.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he snapped, suddenly angry.

He was concerned by the way she recoiled, as if she were afraid of him. Approaching more gently and feeling guilty for the last couple of times he had secretly kissed other girls, he crouched in front of her chair at the Diner.

"Please, Charlie?" he said softly. "I know something's wrong. Please tell me what it is."

Charlie swallowed and looked around them, at their fellow schoolmates having fun on a Saturday night like the world was a perfect place to exist in.

"Not here," she said.

He obediently followed her down to the beach.

* * *

In the moonlight, Brax waited patiently for Charlie to speak to him. She stopped and started several times, wondering how on earth she was meant to start.

"A few weeks ago…" she ventured.

Then she fell silent again.

"Yes?" he nudged quietly.

Charlie swallowed and shifted. Tears stung her eyes.

"I was attacked," she finally blurted out.

Brax sat up straighter, immediately alarmed and alert.

"What do you mean you were attacked?" he asked worriedly.

"I was raped," she admitted.

She feared recrimination as she tried to read the expression that stared back at her.

"Brax…?" she said quietly when he didn't seem to respond.

"Raped?" he asked, evidently in shock.

She nodded silently.

"Who… who by? How did this happen? I don't understand."

"Grant Bledcoe…" Charlie said.

Before she'd finished his name, Brax was on his feet and marching away. Charlie remained on the beach in tears.

* * *

At school the next day, Charlie wasn't shocked to hear the news that Grant had been hospitalised. He was in a coma and it was touch and go as to whether he would even pull through. Apparently some thugs had jumped him and beaten him to within an inch of his life. Charlie already knew Brax was guilty.

"Charlie?" he said, approaching her and taking her into an empty classroom.

She followed but didn't speak.

"Charlie, you don't have to worry now," he said. "Me and the boys have sorted Bledcoe out."

"I heard," Charlie said stiffly.

She hated Grant more than she thought it was even possible and she appreciated the fact that Brax both believed her and cared. But it wasn't the way she'd wanted him to deal with it.

"Aren't you happy?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"That's not exactly what I was hoping for," she admitted.

His confusion grew.

"But I sorted him for you," he said.

"I didn't tell you so you could damn near kill him," Charlie told her, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I told you so you could help me."

"I did…"

Charlie shook her head and fled.

* * *

It was lunch time by the time Brax found his girlfriend, huddled on the beach, still upset. He sat beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. She flinched at first but then sank against him. He kissed the top of her head and apologised.

"This is what you wanted, wasn't it?" he realised.

She nodded. She'd been terrified of telling him the truth and all she'd needed the night before was for him to hold her and reassure her that everything was going to be alright.

"I'm sorry," he said gently. "I just… Sometimes I think with my fists before… you know."

She nodded again. Her tears wet his school shirt.

"Everything's going to be okay, Charlie," he promised. "I'll help you through this. Whatever it takes. I love you."

She looked up at him, searching his eyes.

"I love you too," she said. "And… and there's something else you need to know."

He waited, willing himself to react well this time.

"I'm pregnant," she said.

He just stared at her.

* * *

After a couple of days of ignoring the girl he loved and trying to get his head around her latest revelation, Brax visited Charlie at home. He kept his hands in his pockets as he passed her father, Detective Ross Buckton, for fear of him noticing his bashed up knuckles. The police were desperately searching for 'poor' Grant Bledcoe's attackers.

"Charlie?" he said, tapping on her bedroom door.

She was curled up on her bed and didn't look pleased to see him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Again."

She sat up, resting her chin on her knees, her eyes blank. He came to sit on the bed and tentatively reached for her hand.

"Charlie, are you sure you're… you know?"

She nodded, staring at a point behind him on the opposite wall.

"Okay," he said thoughtfully. "Well, um… we can go to a clinic. We can…"

Charlie shook her head and finally met his gaze.

"It's too late for that," she said. "Too late."

Brax swallowed and nodded.

"So… so what are we going to do?" he asked.

"We?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes," he said. "We're in this together now, Charlie."

She smiled weakly.

"I guess I'm going to be a Mum," she said.

"Then I guess I'm going to be a Dad," he replied.

* * *

_Next time… Charlie and Brax both hit on other people…_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Charlie finished telling her daughter the story, having glossed over the less pleasant bits. She emphasised the way Brax had stood by her, not wanting to ruin the relationship she had with her father. She wasn't sure, personally, if she and her husband had a future but he was Ruby's Dad for all intents and purposes and Charlie very much wanted it to stay that way.

"I feel like my whole life's been turned upside down," Ruby admitted.

Beside her, Ben reached out and held her hand, understanding exactly what she meant.

"It does get better though, Ruby," he promised.

"How could I have been born from so much violence?" his girlfriend said, her voice catching.

Charlie reached out and held her other hand, glad that Joey was silently supporting her.

"Ruby, you're still the best thing that's ever happened to me," she said.

Ruby shook her head.

"How could that even be a little bit true?" she asked. "I should be the worst thing!"

"No, the rape was the worst thing," Charlie told her. "The result of the rape, you… you're the best thing in my life. I love you so much, Ruby, and I have loved every day that you've been alive. Even before you were born."

Ruby gazed at her, longing it to be true. She looked at their joined hands and felt the genuine love between them.

"Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you for loving me anyway."

Charlie moved to gather her into her arms, holding her close. Ben and Joey smiled sadly at each other, hoping that Ruby's journey towards accepting the truth wouldn't be as painful as theirs had been.

* * *

Brax had tried calling Charlie repeatedly but she had rejected him every time. He suspected that he knew exactly where she was and was tempted to go round there and demand that they sorted things out. He also suspected that she was getting a lot of comfort from Joey and therefore, he opted to go out and get drunk instead.

In the bar, with his vision blurry and his words slurred, he spotted a woman drinking with her friends. He immediately approached and had only one intention. If Charlie was going to go off with Joey, he was going to go off with anyone that would have him.

* * *

"Could I stay the night too?" Ruby asked hopefully.

Charlie had asked if she could crash at the house, not yet ready to go home to her husband.

"Of course you can," Joey said.

She looked around the living room, pondering sleeping arrangements.

"Ruby could always sleep in my room," Ben joked.

As he suspected, both mothers gave him a resounding 'no'.

"If Ruby takes the couch, I'm sure we have an airbed in the cupboard somewhere," Joey said. "We could set that up on the floor."

"Sounds good," Charlie agreed, thanking her gratefully. "We really appreciate it."

"You are going to go and sort things out with Dad though, aren't you?" Ruby asked her mother.

Charlie sighed but nodded.

"We'll try our best," she said. "We always do."

Secretly, she had known it was the end for a while now. She just didn't know how she was supposed to break that to her daughter on top of everything else.

* * *

That night, once Ben and Ruby had decided it was time to sleep, Charlie and Joey had taken a bottle of wine into Joey's room. Since the counselling had started, it had become easier for Ben to have alcohol in the house and not be tempted. Joey still didn't drink often but they had agreed that she didn't have to be teetotal anymore.

Leaving Ben in his room and Ruby on the sofa, the two women were sat on the bed, talking about the events of the day.

"Thank you for being there," Charlie said. "For both of us. I don't think I would have got through today without you."

They smiled affectionately.

"I don't think I really did anything," Joey said bashfully. "But I'm always happy to help."

Without warning, Charlie leant in and kissed her. Joey forced herself to pull away, although she really didn't want to.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, upset.

"Charlie, you're really vulnerable right now," Joey said.

"And you can make it better," Charlie told her, stealing a quick peck on the lips.

"Not like this," Joey said softly, taking hold of both her hands. "I couldn't live with myself if I took advantage of you and you still have so much to sort out before we could even think of anything happening between us. Without Brax."

Charlie sighed, unhappily accepting that she was right.

"I want to leave him," she admitted.

"Really?"

Charlie nodded.

"Every time we hit a bump in the road, I've always been convinced that we'll get through it," she said. "Every time he's cheated on me, I've forgiven him and taken the blame all on myself. And I've always held onto the image of him when we were kids, pledging to be Ruby's Dad and to stand by me, no matter what. But he tried to trick me into getting pregnant again. And he let his emotions nearly destroy Ruby by telling her what happened. And…"

She sighed and looked at Joey.

"And I'm in love with you," she said. "More than I've ever been with him."

Joey smiled, both pleased and sad.

"It's a big deal to walk out on your family, Charlie," she said. "Are you sure you want to take a step like that?"

"Don't you want to be with me?" Charlie asked anxiously.

"More than anything, I want to be with you," Joey confirmed. "But it's not going to be easy for us. We're breaking up Romeo and Juliet!"

They both laughed sadly.

"Look how that turned out!" Charlie remarked.

"You'd really leave him for me?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded. She leant in and kissed her again. This time, Joey let her, although they both silently agreed not to take things any further until the right time.

* * *

_Next time… Brax makes Charlie's decision easier…_


	27. Chapter 27

_I'm babysitting my nephew for the next week so updates and emails will probably be a bit sporadic so please bear with me. I should be able to update tomorrow and Sunday but I'm not sure about the rest of the week. But normal service should resume next Sunday. For now, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

Ben and Ruby were already at the breakfast table when Charlie and Joey appeared, looking sleepy. Joey caught her son's expression and immediately knew he was suspicious. But she was grateful that he didn't say anything except 'good morning'.

"Sorry we didn't make you toast," Ruby apologised. "We weren't sure when you'd be up."

"That's fine," Joey said, heading straight over to the kettle.

"Where did you sleep, Mum?" Ruby wondered.

Charlie tried not to show the panic on her face as she sat down beside her daughter.

"It got late," she said. "I ended up falling asleep in Joey's room."

She looked at her potential girlfriend.

"Sorry about that," she added.

Joey just grinned and assured her it was fine. Ben caught the look they exchanged and made a mental note to interrogate his mother later. And perhaps admonish her a little. Starting an affair with Ruby's mother when she knew exactly what her father was like was very obviously a stupid thing to do.

"Are you going to try and talk things through with Dad today?" Ruby asked hesitantly.

After the way Ben and Joey had been there for them, she supposed there was no matter too private between them all now.

"Yeah," Charlie sighed, knowing that the conversation wasn't likely to go how Ruby would want it to. "I will."

She knew for absolute certain that her marriage was over and while she wasn't jubilant, exactly, it felt like the exact right thing to do. Even without Joey in the equation, although she very much was now, Charlie realised that she hadn't been happy with her husband for quite some time. Circumstances had forced them to stay together when really, they had been too young to make that kind of commitment.

Brax had been a good father but the more she thought about it, the more she knew that he hadn't been a great husband and she hadn't been a good wife. She'd lacked interest in him and he hadn't wasted any time in looking elsewhere. And now it seemed like it was her turn.

"Do you think you'll be able to work through all of this?" Ruby asked.

Charlie sighed.

"I don't know," she stalled. "It's a very complicated situation."

"But if we all know the truth now and we all forgive each other…"

"Ruby, please just have some patience," Charlie requested gently, touching her daughter's hand.

The teenager sighed but nodded.

"Okay," she promised. "I'll try."

* * *

Brax woke up in bed feeling particularly groggy. He stretched and groaned as memories of the night before hit him like a boulder. He groaned even louder when he realised that the woman he had picked up the night before was asleep on Charlie's side of the bed.

He froze when he heard the sound of a key in the lock, leaping to his feet and throwing some clothes on. He leant across the bed and roughly woke the sleeping, anonymous woman and insisted she hide.

"What?" the incoherent brunette mumbled, sitting up.

"My wife's home!" Brax said urgently.

She still didn't look particularly inclined to move.

"You have to get out!" he hissed at her.

"And there was me wondering if you'd be polite enough to offer breakfast!" the woman remarked.

He looked like a rabbit in the headlights when Charlie opened the bedroom door.

* * *

Ruby hurried out of the front door almost as quickly as she had arrived. She and her mother had ventured back to the family home, only for Charlie to enter the bedroom and immediately start shouting. Then some random, half dressed woman hurried sheepishly out of the house. It didn't take a genius to work out what had happened and although she loved her Dad, she couldn't help but wonder if Heath had given him lessons on how to make a bad situation worse.

She also loved her uncle but she didn't think she had ever met such a screw up. He had been in and out of jail for theft and assault and only a few years ago discovered a child he had never known he'd had. At least he was with Henri now and they seemed fairly solid, although Henri vastly outwitted him in the intelligence stakes.

That was what was so currently confusing about her father, or the man she had believed was her father all these years. He was the intelligent one. He ran a successful business and had always seemed so smart to her. It had just been careless to let slip the truth about her paternity the way he had, after so many years of keeping things a secret. And now he had gone off with some woman just because he and Charlie had had an argument.

Sighing and deciding that she would never understand grownups, Ruby headed right on back to Ben's house. He understood her in a way that she had never thought anyone would, had never thought anyone would ever really need to. Right about now, he felt like her salvation.

* * *

"Didn't take you long, did it?" Charlie demanded angrily.

"Like you're one to talk!" Brax argued unapologetically. "I know you spent the night with Joey!"

He was pleased when she paused for a moment.

"Nothing happened," she eventually told him.

"Nothing happened here," he said, his tone full of mocking. "Me and Ms Whatever Her Name Was just spooned."

Bitterly, she threw a balled up sock at him, one of the many that he had left on the floor over the years, much to her annoyance. She had never understood why her husband was allergic to the laundry basket.

"Fuck you, Brax," she said, sounding suddenly tired and sad.

She sank down to sit on the bed, pulling a face at the knowledge of what had happened in it the night before.

"I thought you didn't like that game," he snapped.

Hovering over her, he watched at how drawn she was and could empathise with the sensation of everything they knew spiralling out of control. Sighing, he came to sit beside her.

"What happened to us, Charlie?" he wondered.

"Well, once upon a time, I was raped and my boyfriend vowed to stand by me, except he had countless affairs and then blurted out the one secret we needed to keep from our child," she snapped, her voice full of venom.

"It wasn't my fault!" Brax protested. "How was I to know she was standing there!"

"We should never have been having that conversation in the first place!" Charlie argued.

"It's not a crime to want to have more kids with you, Charlie!" he yelled back, leaping to his feet again and beginning to pace.

Charlie stood also, glaring at him.

"It probably is a crime to try and force someone you know is unwilling into getting pregnant," she told him.

He paused mid-step and swallowed.

"I'm sorry," he apologised. "That was a mistake."

"You bet it was," she replied.

He ran his hands through his short, dark hair and groaned.

"What are we meant to do, Charlie?" he asked. "How are we meant to fix this?"

"By having a polite divorce and division of our things," she replied.

His hands dropped to his sides as he stared at her in shock.

"Excuse me?" he managed.

"I want a divorce," she told him calmly.

His mouth hung over her as he attempted to comprehend what she was saying to him.

"Charlie, you don't mean that…" he said. "We can… we can work it out. We always do."

"Not this time," Charlie said, genuinely sad.

"Why?"

Charlie looked at her feet, wondering how things had become so complicated. Everyone had always believed she lived a charmed life with her husband, daughter and brother-in-law. But it seemed that the truth was about to come pouring out into their community.

"It's because of _her_, isn't it?" he accused. "Joey."

"Partly," Charlie admitted.

"So you admit you've been screwing her behind my back!" he snapped.

"No," Charlie protested calmly. "We haven't done anything behind your back. I'm not like you."

The venom had returned to her voice.

"So why can't we work this out the way we always do?" he asked.

"Because you've hurt me one time too many," she said. "And because even though nothing has happened between us without you present, Joey has shown me a different life. She's shown me a world where I can be loved for exactly who I am and that I don't have to put up with the shit you throw at me on a daily basis."

"Charlie…"

"No, Brax," she said firmly. "I'm sorry but it's over."

* * *

_Next time… Charlie throws Brax out and then breaks the news to Ruby, Joey confesses her feelings for Charlie to Ben and Brax fires Joey…_


	28. Chapter 28

_Thank you all for such a lovely welcome back. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

"So, I guess you're going to storm out and move in with _her_," Brax remarked.

"You think _I'm _moving out?" Charlie said rather indignantly. "No way. This is my house and you're the one who fucked everything up."

"You had your part to play!" Brax argued. "And it's my house too!"

"I'm definitely not blameless," Charlie agreed. "But we both know I bring more than half of the money and I also run this house. Ruby and Casey wouldn't last five minutes with you looking after them. And you've behaved worse than I have."

"So, what?" Brax barked. "That's it? I'm homeless?"

"Why don't you go and move in with your beloved brother?" she suggested bitterly. "Or one of your random hook ups if you can remember any of their names."

He glared hatefully at her and then stormed into their room to pack a bag. Charlie remained resolute as she saw him out. The moment he was gone, she sank onto the sofa and cried.

* * *

A short while later, Ruby returned to the house cautiously. She found her mother curled up on the sofa in a state of distress and immediately rushed to her side. She put her arm around her.

"Things didn't go very well with Dad, did they?" she concluded.

Charlie laughed sadly and shook her head, admitting that she had thrown him out.

"For good or…?"

"For good," Charlie confirmed.

They were words she never thought she would say. But right now, she never wanted so much as to look at her husband again.

"Is it because of everything that happened yesterday?" Ruby asked. "Or that woman? Or both? Or…?"

"All of that and everything in between," Charlie said.

She turned to look at her daughter.

"I'm so sorry, Ruby," she said. "I tried to make things work with him for as long as I could but I just… can't do it anymore."

Ruby nodded, although inside she was devastated.

"And just because we don't love each other anymore, it doesn't mean we don't love you," Charlie added. "And it doesn't mean you have to pick between either of us or anything like that."

"Where will we all live?" Ruby wondered.

"I'm keeping the house," Charlie told her. "And obviously I'd love for you to stay here with me."

"I want to," Ruby confirmed.

Charlie hugged her in sheer relief.

"What about Casey?" the teenager wondered.

"Of course he's welcome to stay too," Charlie said. "This is his home and I've mothered him for most of his life. But he is Brax's brother so I do understand if he needs to be loyal. We'll talk about it when he gets home."

Ruby nodded and kept close, feeling like her world was spinning out of control.

"How can all our lives have changed in one day?" she wondered aloud.

Charlie sighed heavily and sank back against the couch.

"I have no earthly idea," she admitted.

* * *

"Mum, what's the deal with you and Charlie?" Ben asked, getting right to the point.

He followed her around the house as she busily got ready for work.

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to sound innocent.

"I mean, are you together?" he asked.

Joey paused where she was perched on the sofa, putting her shoes on and dreading the night ahead. The last thing she wanted to do was work with Brax in light of all that had happened recently.

"No," she assured him.

"You haven't had an affair?"

"No," she confirmed, feeling awkward.

How was she ever meant to explain that she'd been essentially dating both of them – together?

"But do you have feelings for her, Mum?" Ben persisted.

Joey sighed and sat up.

"Honestly? Yes, I do," she admitted. "And I hope that eventually, things might work out between us. But things are really fragile right now, Ben. Please don't say anything to anyone."

He nodded thoughtfully.

"Does this mean that Charlie's gay or something?" he wanted to know.

"I don't think we should get into labels or anything like that," Joey said a little awkwardly. "But we do have feelings for each other and once the dust has settled we'll… see what happens. Okay?"

"Okay," Ben agreed.

He surprised her with a hug.

"I'm glad you've found someone to love, Mum," he said. "Even if it's complicated. You deserve to be happy."

Joey held onto him a little tighter, touched by how much he cared. Then she reluctantly accepted that she did indeed have to go to work.

* * *

Casey had decided to stay put. Brax didn't have room for an extra in the motel he had booked himself into and the last thing Casey had wanted was to go back to his mother, the person that Charlie and Brax had rescued him from in the first place. He had also told Charlie that he understood where she was coming from and had been aware of Brax's extra-marital adventures for a while. He didn't think the way Brax treated his wife was fair, although he did add that he still loved him and hoped they would work things out.

* * *

"Get lost," Brax said as soon as Joey arrived for work.

He was sat on the wrong side of the bar and had obviously been drinking heavily for a while.

"Sorry?" Joey said, startled.

Brax looked at her, eyes blazing.

"I said get lost!" he shouted. "I know exactly what you've been up to and you're fired! Get out!"

Joey hesitated, not enjoying the way everyone was looking at her.

"Now!" he bellowed.

She ran.

* * *

_Next time… Ruby discovers Charlie and Joey's feelings for each other…_


	29. Chapter 29

_This story will be drawing to a close soon so I hope you continue to enjoy it to the end. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

Joey headed straight round to Charlie's house. It seemed that whenever one of them was in some sort of trouble, they ran to each other.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Joey said glumly as she and Charlie sat on the sofa with a glass of wine. "But I can barely afford rent on my wage, let alone now I have nothing coming in."

Charlie felt guilty and responsible. She put her arm around her.

"You'll find something else," she said, trying to sound positive.

"With the reference I'll get?" Joey remarked.

Charlie sighed, silently admitting that she had a point.

"Whatever happens, we can get through it together," she decided.

Joey smiled gently at her, gazing into her eyes. She supposed that even without a job, she had won – for want of a better word. Brax had destroyed his own marriage and now Charlie wanted to be with her, at least, she would when the time was right. Both realising that they were both single now, they leant forward, their lips meeting softly in the lamp lit room. Charlie closed her eyes and sank against Joey's inviting mouth. They kissed tenderly, growing in passion as their lips parted and their tongues began to play. They both felt like they had been waiting for this moment all their lives.

"I love you," Joey murmured.

She kept her eyes closed, expecting Charlie to pull away but the police officer just kissed her all the more passionately.

"I love you too," she returned.

Joey smiled against Charlie's lips, wrapping her arms tightly around her. They jolted apart when the door opened and Ben and Ruby appeared. Everyone looked a little startled.

"Um… what's going on?" Ruby asked cautiously, sitting on the other couch.

After everything that had happened recently, the last thing she wanted to do was jump to conclusions and upset anybody. Ben sat quietly beside her, having secretly suspected this would happen for a little while.

"Um… well," Charlie tried.

"Are you together?" Ruby asked carefully.

"We haven't exactly had that conversation yet," Charlie said. "But we… we do have feelings for each other."

She held her breath, waiting to be admonished and hated all over again. She opened them when no harsh words came.

"Did you cheat on Dad?" Ruby asked.

"No," Charlie said quickly. "Joey and I have had feelings for each other for a while but we never cheated on your father."

She didn't feel a need to explain the threesome arrangement they had had going for a while there. Thinking about your parents' sex life was hideous and she didn't want to make things any worse, especially not when Ruby was already so fragile.

"Does this mean you're gay?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know what it means," Charlie replied honestly. "I never thought I'd be with anyone but Brax but…"

She sighed, trying to decide how to say what she needed to.

"I've always assumed I was straight but the thing is, that until Joey, I've never really been attracted to _anyone_, male or female," she tried.

"What about Dad?" Ruby asked, a little alarmed.

"I've been with your Dad for a long time," Charlie said reasonably. "Since we were kids. After what happened to me… my life changed."

"Because you had me," Ruby concluded glumly.

Charlie reached out and squeezed her hand.

"Because of what happened to me," she corrected. "Having you was a blessing. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, no matter how you were actually conceived."

Ruby nodded, holding onto her mother.

"But the trauma of that conception was the worst thing," Charlie said, hoping she wasn't being tactless. "And because of that, I never got the chance to enjoy a sexual life really."

Ruby pulled an automatic face over the thought of her mother having sex.

"I won't go into details, obviously," Charlie joked. "But I always did it because I was supposed to and didn't really enjoy it. Once upon a time, when I was a kid, before any of the bad stuff happened, I _was _attracted to your Dad. And I still care for him and I still think he's handsome and everything but… I don't feel about him the way I feel about Joey. I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about her."

She cast a glance to her hopefully future girlfriend who smiled. Ben smiled to himself as he watched them interact so lovingly.

"So, you want to be together now?" Ruby asked.

Charlie and Joey both nodded.

"If we have your permission," Charlie added.

Ruby looked surprised.

"My permission?" she asked.

"Ruby, ever since I knew you existed, every decision I've made has been based around you," her mother said. "This isn't any different."

"So… if I tell you I don't want you and Joey to be together, you won't be?"

"It would break my heart but yes, that's the way it goes," Charlie confirmed.

She looked apologetically at Joey who returned the look with sad acceptance. Ruby watched them with interest.

"Go for it," she finally decided.

Both women looked surprised but pleased.

"I just want you to be happy, Mum," Ruby said, pulling Charlie into a hug.

Charlie held onto tight to her daughter. Ben and Joey smiled affectionately at each other, glad that things seemed to be becoming easier.

"Aren't there two people missing from the family meeting?" said a voice.

All four of them turned to see Casey in the doorway, looking unimpressed.

"I mean, I guess one person wouldn't be invited but I thought I might be," he added.

"Case, come and sit down," Charlie invited, bracing herself to tell him what was going on.

She knew as soon as Brax found out that she and Joey were making a go of things, all hell would break loose.

* * *

_Next time… Brax reacts badly to Charlie's new relationship…_


	30. Chapter 30

_Sorry for the lack of update yesterday. I was returning home from spending the week with my Mum so everything was a bit busy and then I was a bit too tired. I hope you enjoy the chapter. I've just finished writing this one so it'll end on chapter thirty three. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty**

Charlie woke up exhausted the following morning. She and Joey hadn't thought it quite appropriate to spend the night together so, later in the evening, Joey and Ben had gone home. Casey had been horrified that Charlie and Joey were an item and had stormed out to go and stay with his brother, who was apparently staying in some motel. Charlie wondered if it was the same one he had tried to get her pregnant in.

Lying in the bed she had once shared with her husband, Charlie stared up the ceiling, wondering how she would face the day. Everything felt so difficult and confusing. Everything she had ever known, her falsely perfect life was over now. Her husband was gone, her daughter and the rest of the world knew the truth about what had happened to her as a teenager and she had to face potential judgement for her relationship with Joey. She couldn't help but wonder how she had come to this place.

Still, she felt surprisingly close to Ruby now. They had always had a good relationship but her baby girl had shown just how grown up she was by the way she had taken on the news of her conception. Charlie knew it wouldn't be an easy road. How could anyone really deal with the revelation that they were the product of a violent rape? But she was trying.

And Charlie had never thought she would be glad of her daughter having a boyfriend. But Ben had been amazing, not least because he had been the same position as his girlfriend. He had been kind and caring and Charlie fully believed that he had had helped Ruby come to terms with everything.

She felt bad that on top of everything that had happened over the last few days, Ruby now also had to deal with her parents breaking up. That in itself was enough for anyone to struggle with but this situation was even more painful now. But again, Ruby had shown herself to be strong and capable and understanding. She had been gentle with her mother and Charlie hoped she would also be with her father. And she had accepted Charlie's relationship with Joey too. That was most definitely encouraging.

Taking a deep breath, Charlie hauled herself out of bed. She wrapped her robe around her and padded out in her slippers to the kitchen where she was gasping for a cup of coffee.

Ruby appeared just a few moments later, having heard her get up. The first thing she did was wrap her arms around her mother, squeezing her tightly and letting her know that she loved her.

"Today isn't going to be an easy day, is it?" the teenager mused.

She took cereal and a bowl out of two different cupboards and then a spoon from the drawer. Charlie poured milk in her coffee and then handed the bottle over, coming to sit with her at the table.

"Definitely not," she sighed.

"But we'll get through it together," Ruby told her. "We'll be stronger than ever – me and you. And Joey and Ben too. I guess we're like a new kind of family."

Charlie smiled.

"I'm relieved that you're taking it so well," she admitted. "I've pretty much turned your whole life upside down in a matter of days."

Ruby nodded.

"You have," she agreed. "But I can deal. I mean, in an ideal world, of course I'd want my parents to stay together. I love you and I love Dad – biology aside. And I want a relationship with both of you. But I also want you to be happy, you know? If you and Dad aren't happy together…"

Charlie touched her hand.

"We've been trying to be happy for such a long time, I don't think we even noticed that we weren't until recently," she said.

"When you met Joey?"

"It wasn't about her," Charlie said. "It was about there being something missing from our relationship. It was about the resentments that have building up between both of us for so long. And then, yes, I fell in love with Joey by accident and…"

"Are you happy with her, Mum?" Ruby asked.

"Very," Charlie said, although technically they hadn't really had the chance to start properly yet.

"Then that's all that matters," Ruby concluded. "You and Joey can be happy together now and hopefully one day, Dad will find someone to be happy with too."

Charlie nodded. She wanted the best for everyone as well.

* * *

Brax woke up with a hangover in his motel room, where Casey had set up a camp bed on the floor. He rubbed his temples and groaned, forcing himself to sit up.

"Are you okay, Brax?" Casey asked from the floor.

"I'm just fucking great," his brother barked back.

"Where did you go in the middle of the night?" Casey asked, choosing not to be offended.

"What?"

"You got up in the night and left for a bit," Casey told him.

"I did?" Brax asked, genuinely puzzled.

His younger brother nodded, informing him he had been pretty out of it. Brax shook his head and then winced from the pain. He flopped back onto the bed and lifted his hands to rub his temples again. It was only then that he noticed they were red.

* * *

"What the…?" Joey muttered.

She had been awake early with a lot – namely, Charlie – on her mind and so opted to go for a walk along the beach. Scrawled across the side of the restaurant, in red spray paint, were the words: 'Ask Charlie Braxton how good Joey Collins is in bed'. She felt sick.

* * *

_Next time… word spreads about Charlie and Joey's relationship…_


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty One**

Charlie was just getting ready for work when her phone rang. She smiled when she saw Joey's name on the screen and was in such a happy daydream that it nearly rang off. Collecting herself, Charlie answered.

"Hey, Joey," she greeted warmly.

"Charlie, we've got a problem," Joey said urgently.

Charlie's good mood dissipated and sat down abruptly on the edge of her bed.

"What's happened?" she asked.

* * *

Ruby was walking to school with Xavier, her school friend and neighbour when they passed her father's restaurant. The teenage girl stopped dead in her tracks and her mouth hung open at the spray painted words on the side of the building.

"What's wrong?" Xavier wondered.

His eyes followed her line of sight and he also stared in shock at the graffiti.

"What on earth is that meant to mean?" he wondered.

"I've got to go," Ruby told him. "I'll see you later."

Without anything resembling an explanation, she dashed off, leaving Xavier to continue walking alone. As he got closer to the restaurant, he found several people milling about, reading and rereading the words and gossiping about them.

"Where's Ruby?" Romeo wondered.

He, Indi and Dex had all stopped to discuss the situation.

"She ran off," Xavier said. "I guess she was embarrassed or something."

"I wonder what all this is about," Indi mused. "I mean, Charlie and Joey can't really be sleeping together, can they?"

* * *

In the background, thankfully undetected, Joey was waiting for Charlie to arrive. She had explained the situation and advised her against coming down into the rapidly increasing gathering but the police officer hadn't taken no for an answer. She scanned the crowd for evidence of Charlie. It was the first time since they'd met that she wasn't happy to see her.

* * *

Charlie took a deep breath as she approached the group. Judging by the level of gossip in front of her, she knew Joey wasn't mistaken in her description of what was going on. She caught sight of Joey and hurried up to her, hoping not to be spotted by anyone else.

"Charlie!" Henri hollered.

She too had been on her way to school, where she worked as a teacher, when she had been caught up in the announcement. She cringed when everyone turned to look at Charlie and Joey, who both looked like rabbits caught in the headlights. Bianca elbowed Henri and then dragged her up to their friends so she could apologise.

"I wasn't thinking," Henri said, adding another sorry.

"It's fine," Charlie sighed, shoving her hands in her pockets.

She dreaded what the day would bring. For starters, she was meant to be doing a talk at the school that afternoon. They'd rip her to shreds.

"I guess we have to face the world sometime."

"A little more politely would have been nice," Joey frowned.

She already couldn't bear the pressure that Charlie was under. She was already out and relatively proud and it didn't bother her. But until today, everyone had thought Charlie was straight. She was married with a child and hadn't yet recovered from the scandal that Ruby wasn't actually Brax's daughter. News of the rape hadn't yet been revealed so currently, everyone would think that Charlie had now embarked on a second affair.

"Who would write that?" Bianca asked, although it wasn't her most burning question.

"Brax and I split up over the weekend," Charlie explained. "He's moved out and we're getting a divorce. So I presume that was his work of art."

"Are you two really an item?" Henri asked, unable to keep her question in.

Joey hesitated but smiled when, despite the amount of people watching them and trying to listen in, Charlie held her hand and nodded.

"We are," she confirmed. "But I swear we didn't have an affair."

Bianca stepped in a little closer, her voice conspiratory.

"Is this the result of your little threesome?" she whispered.

"Yes," Charlie admitted. "But nothing happened away from Brax, except… falling in love."

Bianca grinned.

"You're really in love?" she asked.

Henri dug into her pocket and handed some notes over. Bianca looked triumphant.

"You made a bet on us?" Charlie squeaked, mostly amused.

"Yep," Bianca said. "Leah didn't believe it either but it's been obvious for weeks."

Charlie and Joey didn't know whether to feel horrified or pleased. One thing they were relieved over was that at least two of their friends accepted them.

"Hey, look at Colleen," Bianca remarked, nodding towards the older woman, who looked extremely flustered as she tried to process the news. "She looks like she's going to combust!"

"Eating in the Diner may not be an option for a while," Charlie sighed.

She leant against Joey and groaned.

"There's nothing wrong with you being together," Henri said. "People will get over it."

"We were going to come out anyway," Charlie said, slipping her arm around Joey's waist and allaying any fears that she was ashamed of her. "Just not like this. I don't care what people think I am or if they label me or whatever. I just… I don't want them to think I'm a cheat or a liar because I swear I'm not."

Joey leant in and kissed her cheek.

"The people that matter will know who you really are," she assured her.

Charlie took a deep breath.

"Well, I guess I'll have to go and face work," she said. "Wish me luck."

Colleen's eyes bulged out of her head as Charlie kissed her girlfriend goodbye.

* * *

_Next time… Brax has another revelation for Ruby when she confronts him and Joey gets a new job…_


	32. Chapter 32

_This is the penultimate chapter so I hope you enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty Two**

"How could you do that to Mum?" Ruby demanded, the moment Brax sleepily pulled open the door to the motel he was currently calling home.

He rubbed his eyes with his still paint covered hands, looking confused.

"Rubes…" he managed.

He shoved him in the chest so hard that in his bemused state, he stumbled back, plopping onto the bed. His daughter towered over him. The sunlight silhouetting her made her look oddly terrifying.

"How could you hurt her like that?" she demanded angrily.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he protested.

She grabbed his hands, shoving them in front of his face.

"The evidence is right there, Dad!" she shouted. "How could you?"

"I don't know what this is," he told her.

He genuinely had no memory of what he had got up to last night. But he gathered it wasn't good.

"You graffitied the side of the restaurant about Mum and Joey," Ruby informed him, still furious. "How could you?"

He stood up abruptly.

"Wait, you know about them?" he snapped.

"Yes, I do," she said unapologetically. "Mum told me yesterday."

"So, you think it's okay for her to have an affair?" he yelled.

"She didn't have an affair," Ruby insisted. "She told me what happened."

"She told you that Joey was sleeping with both of us, did she?" Brax said.

Ruby opened and shut her mouth a couple of times in bewilderment.

"Thought not," he said rather smugly, sitting back on the bed.

His head was banging.

"What are you talking about, Dad?" the teenager eventually asked worriedly, coming to sit beside him.

He leant forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

"We were a… threesome… for a while," he told her quietly. "And then they went off on their own."

Ruby looked rather disgusted at the thought of what her parents and Joey had been getting up to behind closed doors.

"But Mum swears nothing happened behind your back," she said, trying to reassure him. "I don't even think anything's happened now. They want to be together but I guess they're trying to be respectful."

"What's respectful about this, Rubes?" Brax asked, sounding genuinely heartbroken. "I stood by that woman through everything and now she's just cast me aside."

"Well, it didn't happen quite like that, did it?" Ruby challenged gently.

He looked sideways at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Dad, I'm not an idiot," she said. "I know you've gone off with people behind Mum's back. Lots of times. Including the other day. Obviously I wish you could work it out and stay together. Any kid would want that for their parents. But you can't blame Mum for having had enough, can you?"

"Yes!" he snapped. "Yes, I can blame her! I can blame her for everything! Do you think it's been easy for me to watch her fall in love with someone else? And a woman at that? Do you think it's been easy for me to see her a hundred times more passionate about someone else than she has _ever _been for me?"

His voice was so venomous, it was shocking. Ruby jolted back just a little.

"I think this is a discussion you need to have with Mum," she decided. "But you really need to grow up, Dad."

He laughed at the absurdity of a daughter telling her father off for a lack of maturity.

"You can't go around behaving the way you do," Ruby persisted. "It's not fair on any of us."

He nodded but refused to apologise. He loved Ruby and he always would but he hated Charlie and if he had succeeded in humiliating her today then he was glad. He hoped to make her life hell from here on out.

* * *

At lunch time, Charlie met up with Joey on the beach. Neither of them could face the Diner, what with all the gossip that was going on surrounding their relationship and they knew they would have to take the heat for a while. And that was just built on the hope that this was all Brax would do to them.

"How has work been?" Joey asked.

"Stressful," Charlie admitted. "And I have this stupid school talk to deal with this afternoon, which I'm not looking forward to. The boss offered me an out but I guess I have to face it all some time. It might as well be today."

Joey sighed and touched her hand, looking fearfully into her eyes.

"Are you starting to regret this?" she asked. "Me and you?"

"Of course not," Charlie said, without hesitation.

As if to prove it, she leant in and kissed her. They rested their foreheads together, holding hands.

"I love you," she said. "And I want to be with you. We always knew this part was going to be a nightmare but it's worth it, isn't it?"

Joey smiled.

"It is as far as I'm concerned," she said. "And as long as you feel the same, I'm happy."

Charlie kissed her again and sat back up, putting her arm around her.

"I feel the same," she assured her.

Joey snuggled against her and sighed in contentment.

"What have you been up to today?" Charlie asked.

"Just trying to clean up the graffiti, really," Joey replied.

Charlie jolted and looked at her.

"That was you?" she asked, having noticed that at least some of the spray paint had been scrubbed off.

"Yeah," Joey said anxiously. "Why? Is that bad?"

"No, that's great," Charlie said. "The less time it spends up there, the better."

"Well, I felt really bad for Alf having to deal with it, what with the restaurant and the Aurf Club being the same building and everything," Joey said. "And as Brax fired me, I didn't have that much else to do. Except, you know, find another job. Which, I managed to do in the process."

"You did?" Charlie squeaked.

"Yep!" Joey said proudly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"We had more important things to discuss," Joey said.

"More important than you getting a new job so quickly?"

"Yes," Joey said. "Like how you've been coping with Brax trying to wreck your life."

Charlie smiled softly at her, marvelling at how it felt to be with someone who cared so much about her.

"So, what's the job?" she asked.

"Bar work at the Surf Club," Joey said. "Alf was a little flustered that I volunteered to clear up the graffiti so we got chatting about, you know, everything that's going on and… well, he offered me some hours behind the bar. It's not full time but it's a start. And I'm very grateful, considering the damage to the outside wall of his business."

She sighed and leant against Charlie.

"Everything's going to be alright, isn't it?" she asked, genuinely seeking reassurance.

"As long as we're together," Charlie said, "everything is going to be just fine."

* * *

_Next time… Charlie and Joey settle into life together…_


	33. Chapter 33

_Sorry for the delay in updating. My day didn't quite go to plan. I am hoping to do a second update today but I might not get to it. Will do my best though. For now, I hope you enjoy the final installment of this story…_

**Chapter Thirty Three**

It had been several weeks and a lot of things had changed in Summer Bay. With only part time work to survive on, Joey had been struggling with rent payments on her apartment. As she spent all her time with Charlie anyway, the police officer had asked her and Ben to move into the house with her and Ruby, although both parents had been very firm with ground rules for their kids.

Casey had moved out and into an apartment with Brax who had spent most of his time upsetting everyone around him. He was rude to staff and customers alike and the business was struggling because of it. Even his wayward brother, Heath, was critical of his drunken behaviour.

Charlie couldn't help but worry about her husband, regardless of how much he had hurt her. She hadn't counted on his inability to cope without her, she supposed. She and he had both assumed that if they lost each other, it would be her that would fall apart. Back in the day, he had been the hero that had swooped in to take care of her. He had been the one to rescue her from the pain she had been suffering.

But now, everything was different. Charlie was happier than she had ever been in her life, happier than she had ever believed it was possible to be. Every morning, she woke up with a feeling of joy that she was lying beside someone that she loved so much, someone that she knew loved her completely.

Ruby also seemed very settled. She very much enjoyed sharing a house with her boyfriend but both she and Ben were respectful of the rules. Ruby had also confided that she wasn't ready for 'that stuff' yet anyway, especially after recent revelations and that because of his own history, Ben always wanted to take things slowly. That made Charlie relax a lot, although she and Joey knew they would continue to keep a close eye on them.

Entering the bedroom she had once shared with her husband and now, far more happily, shared with her girlfriend, she stopped and smiled at Joey, tucked up in bed with the blankets up to her neck.

"You're so cute," she commented, moving to her dressing table to take her makeup off.

She stopped abruptly when Joey flung back the bedcovers, revealing that she was in a red, lacy bra and thong with suspenders, leaving just enough to the imagination.

"How cute am I now?" Joey asked, her voice low and husky.

Charlie felt a surge of desire that still surprised her. After so many years of not feeling what she had always been told she was expected to feel, actually feeling it, was new. Abandoning her routine, she hurried over to the bed and gathered Joey into her arms.

"Not cute at all," she breathed. "Just very, very hot."

Joey grinned wickedly and flipped Charlie onto the bed. She straddled her hips and opened her slinky dressing gown. She marvelled at the effort she had to go to and yet just in pyjamas and a gown, Charlie looked stunning.

She kissed her with a passion that took both their breaths away, closing her eyes and melting against her lips. Without shame, she let his fingertips rove over Charlie's body. They both tingled at the contact and the electricity it sparked between them.

"I love you so much," Joey whispered.

"I love you too," Charlie replied, without hesitation.

It felt so good to just be together, to not have to share each other with the unwelcome man in the room and to not have to hide anything they felt. They were finally free just to be themselves, to be happy.

Joey moved to kiss Charlie's neck, sucking gently on her pulse point. She let her hand slip down to cup her right breast, immediately feeling her nipple harden beneath the thin fabric of her pyjama top. She rubbed her thumb over the material, eliciting a groan of pleasure that made her kiss all the harder.

Charlie wrapped her arms around Joey's neck, pulling her closer. Joey shifted, happy to bury her face in the police officer's un-holstered cleavage. She stayed there for a good few moments, placing a gentle kiss between her breasts. Then she sat up and whipped Charlie's top off in one, swift motion.

She sat back, still straddling Charlie's narrow hips and took a moment to marvel at the sight before her. She grinned wickedly, kissing first Charlie's mouth and then finding her way to one and then the other of her breasts. She kissed each part of her that she could find, paying attention to her sensitive peaks and enjoying the way Charlie writhed just a little beneath her.

Charlie moaned, feeling on edge just by the attention her girlfriend was paying to her chest. She wondered if she should be embarrassed that just a look or the smallest touch from Joey could turn her on so much. But then, she supposed it was a compliment. And she was all for complimenting the woman she loved.

After some time spent playing, Joey moved downwards, kissing and paying attention to every bit of skin exposed to her. She admired Charlie's toned tummy, kissing it on her descent. She slipped Charlie's silky pyjama shorts and underwear off and smiled at the instant access she was granted.

Wasting no time, Joey set to work, kissing Charlie's thighs, which parted ever more to welcome her inside, hiding nothing from her. Joey closed her eyes, taking in her scent and the heat of Charlie's close proximity. She could feel the way Charlie ached for her and that excited her all the more. Shifting just a little closer, she tasted her gently with her tongue.

Any anxiety about her own wetness was dissipated as Charlie felt Joey tease and toy with her. She enjoyed the warmth of her mouth and the way her tongue made her tingle. She parted her legs even wider, glad of her own flexibility, as Joey began to build up a rhythm, exploring and exciting. She felt the way Joey thrust her tongue as deeply inside her as she could and then withdrew quickly to pay close attention to her clitoris. She gasped and lost her own breathing rhythm as Joey built up speed, never losing her close attention to detail.

She sank back against the pillows, ragged and perspiring as Joey brought her to the most shuddering, wondering climax she had ever experienced. Every night, Joey proved that Charlie had very much had the best decision she could ever have made.

* * *

Several minutes later, Charlie lay, panting on the mattress with Joey snuggled into her arms, grinning a little inanely. She didn't think she would ever stop enjoying making Charlie happy. Knowing her fragile history and the problems she'd had all her adult life, it was a special feeling to know that she could make her react like that, that she could excite her so much.

"Are you ready to sleep?" she wondered, tracing her fingertips over Charlie's skin.

"With you wearing that?" Charlie remarked. "No way! I'm just getting started!"

* * *

"Post," Ruby said, striding into the kitchen with the mail the next morning.

Charlie was making coffee while Joey was dealing with toast. Ben was sitting at the table, attempting to cram in some last minute homework he'd forgotten was due that afternoon.

"Thanks," Charlie said, taking her letters when she came to sit at the table.

She opened the first one and frowned.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Joey asked, bringing a plate heaped with toast to the table.

Ben immediately abandoned his homework in order to tuck in.

"The divorce papers are through," Charlie said, showing her.

Ruby watched her mother anxiously. She had accepted that her parents were splitting up. She didn't believe that biology stopped Brax being her father but she knew that he was no longer the person her mother wanted to be with. But it was still sad. And it was still an adjustment.

"How do you feel?" Joey asked.

Charlie glanced at Ruby.

"You can be honest, Mum," the teenager permitted.

"I feel free," Charlie admitted. "I feel like the four of us can officially start our lives together. Be a family. And I know we might not be the most conventional but… I'm happy."

Ben stopped gobbling his food and smiled. He very much felt the same.

"Then you'd best get signing," Ruby said.

"Are you sure you're not angry with me for…?"

"Mum, I'm not angry with you for anything," Ruby assured her. "All I want is for you to be happy. And as it turns out, until you and Joey got together, I'd never actually seen you feel like that. I love Dad and I always will but this… this is right."

Charlie smiled. She leant in and kissed Joey, gazing into her eyes. Everything Ruby had said was true.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Joey replied.

Charlie signed the document. She was finally free to live the life she wanted.

* * *

_Well, that's the end of this one. I know it's hasn't been my most conventional story but I hope you've enjoyed the ride. Thank you to those who were willing to give it a shot and give constructive and encouraging feedback. Your readership really means the world. Love, IJKS xxx_


End file.
